Category Archives: the astronomer’s universe

'Casts, astrocast.tv, betelgeuse, stellar evolution, supernova, the astronomer's universe

Astronomy Media

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How Do YOU Learn about Astronomy?

For much of this year I’ve been working with Astrocast.tv, creating a segment for their online astronomy news magazine. My monthly p0rtion of this astro-news outreach project is called “The Astronomer’s Universe.”  I use the time to talk about what professional astronomers are observing and what they’re learning. This month’s episode, contained as part of the larger episode you see embedded here, is about the supergiant star Betelgeuse — the bright star on that makes up the shoulder of Orion, the Hunter.

Doing these segments is a lot of work and a lot of fun. And, I’d like to think that people learn a little something from them — and from all the segments featured on Astrocast.tv.  Do you watch? Do you enjoy the Earth-observing segments by Bente Bye? How about the stargazing segment? Or, what about Greg Redfern’s commentary on the latest astro and planetary exploration news?  If so, let the producers know. Use the contact form to drop a line and feel free to suggest future topics that the show might cover. There’s a universe of good stories out there!

I often wonder where else people go online for their astro-news. There are so many good sites out there — many from official research institutions, and many more from people passionate about the cosmos and its origin and evolution (from a scientific standpoint). Where do you visit?  Drop me a line — I’d love to know!

'Casts, 365 days of astronomy, astrocast.tv, the astronomer's universe

Outback Astronomy and New Media Astronomy

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MWA

Dipole elements in the Murchison Wide-Field Array in Australia. Courtesy MIT Haystack Observatory and the MWA Consortium.
Dipole elements in the Murchison Wide-Field Array in Australia. Courtesy MIT Haystack Observatory and the MWA Consortium.

Some of my favorite folks in the world are working on the Murchison Wide-Field Array, a low-frequency radio astronomy project being built in the outback of Western Australia. I’ve worked on a couple of short projects for the Haystack Observatory team (in Westford, MA), and the array has been a long-term interest of mine for a while now.

So, it’s with great pleasure that I point you to today’s 365 Days of Astronomy podcast about the MWA. I wrote and narrated it and the music and soundtrack production is by Mark — including his wonderful original music.

Go check it out — we’ll still be here when you get back!

Astrocast.TV and The Astronomer’s Universe

Okay, now that you’ve listened to my golden voice talking about MWA, let me now point you over to Astrocast.tv — a project I’m proud to be working on as producer of a segment call The Astronomer’s Universe. Each month I and several other producers give you 4- to 5-minute-long in-depth looks at such topics as what professional astronomers are learning about the cosmos, what climate scientists are learning from the study of planet Earth, and what amateur stargazers can see each month in the night sky. Couple that with the latest astronomy and space news, plus a set of really nicely written blog entries by all of us involved in the project, and you’ve got 30 minutes or so of prime space media — at your fingertips!  It’s a pleasure to be working with the executive producers on this project and very exciting to watch as our viewership grows each month. So, go check it out if you haven’t already — and then go back the first of each month for a new set of space and astronomy stories.

It’s really a LOT of fun to be involved in such cool new media projects… I hope to do more of it in addition to my other projects (fulldome video shows, podcasts, and other media presentations).