Episode 29: Aurora

Mr Max and Chris are back out for an evening walk in the Sun, rejoicing in the nearly once-in-a-lifetime view of the aurorae that much of the world enjoyed last week. We find out what causes the Northern and Southern lights, why last week was quite so good, and what the chances are of a similar show in the near future. We respect the lights, while being very good and Not Barking at things. There are loads of great aurora pictures in the Sky at Night Flickr group: https://www.flickr.com/groups/bbcskyatnight/?rb=1 Aurorawatch is here: https://aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk/ and for those in the US there's the NOAA site here: https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/aurora-viewline-tonight-and-tomorrow-night-experimental A reminder that you can buy Chris' book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Our-Accidental-Universe-Discovery-Asteroids/dp/1911709186 (It's out in the US in June, so you'll have to be patient if you're there!)

Mr Max and Chris are back out under surprisingly wintery skies. We check in on our old friend Betelgeuse, follow a new friend for a while with #nobarking, and talk about why you need goats in your chariot, why one star is really four, and what to spot with binoculars. You can read more about Capella here: https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/star-capella And buy Chris' book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Our-Accidental-Universe-Discovery-Asteroids/dp/1911709186 (It's out in the US in June, so you'll have to be patient if you're there!)

On a cloudy damp evening in Oxford, Chris and Mr Max are braving the weather. Max is keen on a jam jar, while Chris tells us the story of world’s greatest radio astronomer, Grote Reber. Missiles and parrots also feature. The story is included in Chris’s new book, ‘Our Accidental Universe’, out in March and available from Amazon (https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Our-Accidental-Universe-by-Chris-Lintott/9781911709183) or wherever you buy your books. (Unless you’re in the US, in which case your version, ‘Accidental Astronomy’ will be out in June)

On a clear February night, Mr Max is heading for home after visiting Bread Corner. Meanwhile, Chris picks on his least favourite constellation, Gemini. The twins take a prominent place in the winter sky, but we find out why it disappoints Chris, how it harbours a strange, pulsing mystery, and why it's the place to keep an eye out for planets. There's a guide to Gemini from Sky at Night magazine here: https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/constellation-gemini Geminga is visible in all its blobby glory in this image from ESA: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/ESA_is_hot_on_the_trail_of_Geminga

This episode is dedicated to a winter wonder, the Orion Nebula. Learn about Chris' favourite object as we hear how conditions in this nearby stellar nursery may have given us a clue to the start of life on Earth while Mr Max explores a new set of streets in search of pizza. Amazing image of the nebula from Hubble here: https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/images/2006/01/1826-Image.html But I also really love Will Gater's sketch of the nebula: https://www.willgaterastrophotography.com/sketches/e63vefwte0w2z754kbq2mmqo40yrgw

It's Christmas, and the International Space Station will be paying us a festive visit. Mr Max is enjoying festive pavement treats, Chris tells us a Christmas story about the power of doing very little, and the Moon just about peeks through the clouds. Thanks for joining us on our walks this year! Let's Go! International Space Station predictions from https://heavens-above.com/ or https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/ The Hubble Deep Field story is here: https://esahubble.org/science/deep_fields/

Chris and Mr Max are out under a beautifully clear winter sky, looking at Jupiter and talking about its enormous (but shrinking) red spot. New results from the Juno spacecraft (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/jupiters-great-red-spot-is-surprisingly-deep/) teach us about this long lived storm, and provide a surprising connection to lego. Mr Max is keen for speed, and is not to be distracted by anything on this pleasingly lovely evening. Many more images from the Juno mission are available here: https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu/ Amazing views of Jupiter from a small telescope from Damian Peach, the king of planetary imaging here: https://www.damianpeach.com/jup22.htm Some gorgeous sketches in this article from my old colleague Paul Abel: https://britastro.org/2017/observers-challenge-jupiters-great-red-spot

Chris and Mr Max are out under autumn skies. Chris talks about the special stars of the Great Square of Pegasus, which is not Great or even a square. We wonder if the Moon illusion applies to flying horses, while Mr Max deals with the students of Oxford by choosing to stroll down the middle of the street. You can read about counting stars in the square here: https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-blogs/explore-night-bob-king/counting-stars-great-square-pegasus/ Find out about the astounding discovery of 51 Pegasi b here: https://astrobites.org/2019/10/16/the-nobel-winning-discovery-of-51-pegasi-b/ ...and don't forget to catch Mr Max on this month's @bbcstargazing Sky at Night special: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b006mk7h/the-sky-at-night

Chris and Mr Max are back, enjoying dark skies, freshly cut grass and the splendours of Saturn. The pair find out why lunar conspiracy nuts should pay attention to Saturn's rings, invent a new paint colour and talk about Titan's methane rain, all while Not Barking at a lively 'guest'. Galileo's drawing of Saturn is here: https://attic.gsfc.nasa.gov/huygensgcms/Shistory.htm The glorious rings were imaged repeatedly by the Cassini probe: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/cassini/multimedia/hall-of-fame/?topics=rings You can watch the descent of the Huygens probe through Titan's orange clouds here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msiLWxDayuA ..and the image of Buzz Aldrin on the Moon mentioned in the podcast is here: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Armstrong_heiligenschein.jpg

Mr Max and Chris are up late following a lunar landing, and enjoying a quiet, starry sky. Find out what an eagle is doing with a harp, why aliens shouldn't exist around brilliant Vega, and the ultimate fate of the Sun. Meanwhile, Mr Max is being A Good Boy despite having encountered Eric, the local bulldog. You can read more about Vega here: https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/vega, and we talk about the Ring Nebula, which features in gorgeous new images from the JWST here: https://blogs.nasa.gov/webb/2023/08/21/webb-reveals-intricate-details-in-the-remains-of-a-dying-star/