astro[sound]bites

• Episode 107: Things That Go Blip in the Night

  The more things change, the more they, uh, change. This episode Cole, Shashank, and Cormac cover the exciting events that change what we see on the night sky. Ancient astronomers tracked the motions of the planets and the arrival of “guest stars” (supernovae), and nowadays we’re lucky enough to see some really wild and energetic events. Cormac gives us a view into what happens when a star punches through a black hole’s accretion disc, Shashank shows us a particularly persnickety pulsar, and Cole gets his twenty minute monologue on modern classical music cut for time.    Astrobites: This Pulsar Has Mood Swings https://astrobites.org/2025/05/21/this-pulsar-has-mood-swings/   X-treme X-rays in an X-tra young system https://astrobites.org/2025/04/16/x-treme-x-rays-in-an-x-tra-young-system/   Space Sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2_3RgX-RIY&list=PPSV   Gif of Sagittarius A* we mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0QRpid5_QU

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• Episode 106: Sabrina’s Super Sad Sendoff

  In this episode, we say goodbye to one of our beloved hosts, Sabrina Berger. We take a voyage through the depths and breadths of Sabrina’s research experience. Cole tells us how Sabrina investigates JWST’s ability to estimate the masses of galaxies through the glare of their quasars, and Lucia tells us how Sabrina used navigation satellites to calibrate radio telescopes. In between, we quiz Sabrina on her own ASB episodes and finish with Sabrina’s experience in 3 different countries and Sabrina’s advice for future grad students!   Arxiv links: - https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.06144 - https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.12130

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• Episode 105.5: NASA Needs Your Help!

  In this episode, the (domestic) American sector of Astro[sound]bites covers the recent proposed budget cuts to NASA, the largest in NASA’s entire history. We cover the downsides that these cuts would have for science and the economy, and what you can do to speak out.   How to reach out: Find your representative: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative   AAS Letter Writing Guidelines for Astronomers:  https://aas.org/advocacy/get-involved/action-alerts/action-alert-2025-support-science   Planetary Society Letter Writing Guidelines for the General Public https://www.planetary.org/advocacy-action-center#/53   Astrobite with Guidelines for Letter Writing https://astrobites.org/2025/04/15/help_nasa/   Sources:  The Budget Request (NASA Stuff begins on page 39 of the pdf) https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Fiscal-Year-2026-Discretionary-Budget-Request.pdf   Original ArsTechnica Report: https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/04/trump-white-house-budget-proposal-eviscerates-science-funding-at-nasa/   NASA’s economic output: https://www.nasa.gov/fy-2023-economic-impact-report/#:~:text=NASA%20Boosts%20the%20U.S.%20Economy,D.C.%2C%20in%20fiscal%20year%202023.   NASA’s economic output reaches all 50 states: https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasas-economic-benefit-reaches-all-50-states/   NASA’s research on climate change https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/   NASA’s research on asteroid defense https://science.nasa.gov/planetary-defense/   NASA Education and Outreach https://www1.grc.nasa.gov/space/education-outreach/   Cuts disproportionately affect marginalized groups: https://www.fastcompany.com/91328007/trumps-federal-layoffs-are-disproportionately-impacting-women-and-people-of-color  

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• Episode 105: Citizen Brain

  In today’s episode, Cormac, Cole and Lucia catch you up with all things Citizen Science. In the epoch of ChatGPT, Grok and Gemini (no, not the telescope), it’s easy to forget about the 20 Watt computer you’re using to read this sentence. Yes, even YOU can contribute to cutting-edge astronomical research, as we present two examples of cosmic crowdfunding in action. Cole convinces us that nearby galaxies need some Clump Scouts, and Lucia shows us how volunteers have been the (tur)key to finding a new star-studded dwarf galaxy. We also discuss the non-research benefits of democratising science, and in a fourth-wall-shattering pivot, we ask you, yes YOU, what you’d like to hear more of on a[s]b. [email protected] Astrobites: https://astrobites.org/2024/07/29/galaxy-zoo-clump-scout/ https://astrobites.org/2023/11/18/a-lonely-little-galaxy-at-the-edge-of-our-neighborhood/ Space Sound: Adapted from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6vbST9iMOU XKCD Comic: https://xkcd.com/1425/ Article about the (not so?) amateur astronomer: https://astro.arizona.edu/news/tucson-doctor-wins-national-award-his-second-act-amateur-astronomer

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• Episode 104: Star Destroyers

  That stars die will be old news for most listeners. But sometimes, stars don’t just die, they get ripped apart by supermassive black holes. Cormac, Cole and Lucia discuss these so-called tidal disruption events. Specifically, how these events are connected to X-ray absorption features called extreme coronal lines. The hosts also take a look at one of the true superstars of supernova remnants: the Crab Nebula. As it turns out, studying the ejecta can give clues about the pulsar at the heart of the nebula. The discussion revolves around the every-day of doing science. Spoiler: it’s not all like solving exercise sheets. A New Look at Our Old Friend, the Crab Nebula https://astrobites.org/2025/03/16/new-look-at-crab/ Exploring the remains of a destroyed (death) star https://astrobites.org/2025/03/08/exploring-the-remains-of-a-destroyed-death-star/  Space Sound: https://youtu.be/aG300vtQ1es

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