SpaceTime with Stuart Gary

Our first StarStuff astronomy and space science show for 2016 is out now at…
https://audioboom.com/channel/starstuffwithstuartgary
and on itunes at:
https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/star-stuff-stuart-gary-2016/id1080935752?mt=2
Our StarStuff breaking news twitter feed @stuartgary
Our StarStuff blog at: http://starstuffwithstuartgary.tumblr.com/
or facebook us at: www.facebook.com/starstuffwithstuartgary 

Today’s stories…
PLANET 9 FROM OUTER SPACE
Astronomers have found convincing evidence for the existence of a ninth planet in the dark outer reaches of the solar system far beyond Neptune. The newly inferred planet – which is simply being called Planet Nine for now – has about ten times the mass of Earth and circles the Sun some 600 times further out than Earth’s orbit. 

NEW MOON GIANT IMPACT THEORY
A new study claims the Earth’s Moon was formed out of a violent head on collision rather than a 45 degree angle side swipe between the early proto-Earth and a planetary embryo called Theia 4.6 billion years ago. The new study is based on a re-evaluation of oxygen isotopes in rock samples from both the Earth and the lunar surface. 

PLUTO THE WATER PLANET
New data from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft indicates the surface of Pluto has far more water than previously estimated. The new images have detected abundant signatures for water ice across the dwarf planet’s surface. 

FIRST ARIANE 5 LAUNCH FOR 2016 
Arianespace has carried out its first launch of the year with an Ariane 5 blasting into orbit from the European Space Agency’s Kourou Space Port in French Guiana carrying the Intelsat 29e communications satellite into orbit. The 6552 kilogram satellite will provide C, Ku and Ka-band services for North and South America as well as the North Atlantic.

INDIA LAUNCHES NAVIGATION SATELLITE
India has successfully launched a PSLV rocket carrying the nation’s new IRNSS-1E navigation satellite into orbit. The spa cecraft is the fifth of the seven satellites constituting the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System.

StarStuff with Stuart Gary Series 19 Episode 1 - We're back for 2016!

In this episode:

North Korea fires a shot across the world's bow
North Korea has launched a rocket into space sparking global condemnation and growing fears over Pyongyang's ever expanding nuclear weapons program.  Pyongyang claims the rocket was carrying a scientific satellite, but the rest of the world is concerned the rocket was testing ballistic missile technology for nuclear weapons delivery systems.  
 
Most powerful supernova explosion ever seen
Astronomers have detected what they think is the most powerful stellar explosion ever seen -- a massive supernova -- twice as powerful as anything previously recorded. the huge blast was 200 times more powerful than the average supernova, 570 billion times brighter than our Sun, and 20 times brighter than all the stars in our Milky Way Galaxy combined. 
 
NASA warns of asteroid threat
NASA is keeping a close eye on a 30 metre asteroid which is expected to come awfully close to Earth next month. The space rock named 2013-TX68 could pass just 17,700 kilometres above the planet's surface on March 5th, lower than the orbits of many satellites. 
 
China launches new navigation satellite
China has launched a Long March 3C rocket carrying another member of Beijing's Beidou satellite navigation system. As well as providing navigation services for Beijing, the new satellite also features a particle detector to study the space environment around its orbit. 
 
Europe laser communications satellite launched
A Russian Proton rocket has successfully blasted into orbit carrying a new telecommunications satellite equipped with a laser communications system. The new European Data Relay System will provide emergency services with near real time data relay services improving maritime surveillance and disaster response times.  


StarStuff Series 19 Ep2 - Most powerful supernova explosion ever seen

Today's stories...
 
Gravitational waves detected for the first time
Ripples in the fabric of spacetime known as gravitational waves have been directly seen for the first time. The historic announcement ends months of speculation and rumour.
 
The Great Attractor
Hundreds of galaxies hidden from view behind the Milky Way have been unveiled in unprecedented detail providing astronomers with new information about a mysterious object known as the Great Attractor.  The findings shed new light on this massive gravitational anomaly, which appears to be drawing hundreds of thousands galaxies including the Milky Way towards it with a gravitational force equivalent to millions of billions of Suns.
 
Earth's Ancient Crust
Scientists have discovered  2.5 billion year old material from the ancient Earth in lava that's erupted from some oceanic volcanoes. The findings are the first evidence that Archean era planetary crust is being recycled through the mantle.
 
Activity discovered on Saturnian moon Dione
An 800 kilometre long mountain range on the Saturnian ice moon Dione is providing scientists with clues about how active the distant frozen world once was. The discovery also hints at possible continued activity even today.
 
North Korea Satellite failure
The satellite launched by North Korea last week appears to have failed to activate and is orbiting the Earth dead in space. The object which had been tumbling but had now stabilized but has failed to communicate with ground stations.


SpaceTime Series 19 Episode 3 - Gravitational waves detected for the first time

In this episode:

The mystery of the IBEX ribbon
Astronomers are a step closer to finally solving the mystery of the IBEX ribbon spotted at the edge of the solar system eight years ago. New computer simulations and data from NASA’s IBEX spacecraft are pointing to ionized solar wind particles streaming back into the solar system after interacting with interstellar space galactic magnetic fields. 

Invisible gas clouds appear shaped like dark noodles
Astronomers have been given their best view yet of the giant interstellar gas clouds which make up a significant amount of the Milky Way galaxy’s matter. The invisible structures known as Extreme Scattering Events are high density lumps in the thin electrically charged gas between the stars in our Galaxy and appear to be shaped like noodles, lasagna sheets or possibly even hazelnuts. 

New Subatomic particle discovered 
Scientists at Fermilab have discovered a new particle—the latest member to be added to the exotic species of particles known as tetraquarks. The new discovery by the DZero experiment is of the first tetraquark candidate composed of four different quark flavours. 

Supernova puzzle close to being solved
New observations using the Hubble Space Telescope have confirmed that a supernova which exploded more than three years ago is continuing to shine far brighter than expected. The supernova known as SN 2012cg could have important implications for astronomy’s ability to measure cosmic distances across the universe.


SPACETIME Series 19 Ep.8 - The mystery of the IBEX ribbon & others

In Episode 9:

 Fast Radio Burst mystery deepens
Astronomers for the first time have detected repeating Fast Radio Bursts -- short bursts of radio waves from an enigmatic source located well beyond our Milky Way galaxy. Prior to this discovery, all previously detected Fast Radio Bursts have appeared to be one-off events.  

What if E.T. called us and nobody heard? 
As scientists step up their search for other life in the universe, two astrophysicists are proposing a way to make sure we don't miss the signal if extraterrestrial observers try to contact us first. The scientists say the best chance for us finding a signal from beyond is to presume that extraterrestrial observers are using the same methods to search for us that we are using to search for life beyond Earth.
  
Asteroid close encounter 
Astronomers around the world will be counting down to the extremely close flyby of asteroid 2013 TX68 which could pass just 17,700 kilometres above the ground tomorrow March 5th. However, scientists admit they won’t know exactly how close the 35-metre-wide space rock will get until after the flyby occurs. 

ExoMars prepares for launch
All systems are go for this month’s launch of the ExoMars 2016 spacecraft bound for the red planet. The joint Roscosmos and European Space Agency mission is slated to launch on a Russian Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in the central Asian republic of Kazakhstan on March 14. 

Where did the Martian moon Phobos come from?
NASA scientists are closer to solving the mystery of how the Martian moon Phobos formed. NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft (MAVEN) has made a series of close approaches to the 28-kilometre-wide moon collecting data from within 500 kilometres of its surface.  

Expedition 46 crew return to Earth after record breaking space flight
The Russian Soyuz TMA-18M capsule has returned safely to Earth carrying the expedition 46 crew from the International Space Station. Among those aboard the spacecraft as it touched down on the cold Kazakhstan steps was US astronaut Scott Kelly who set a new American record for long duration human space flight of 340 days in orbit.

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For more on this show, visit our Show Notes page at http://www.bitesz.com/spacetime-show-notes  and our website at www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com

SpaceTime Series 19 Ep. 9 - Fast Radio Burst mystery deepens & more...

Hi everyone...Stuart here with the Show Notes:

Supernovae showered Earth with radioactive debris
The Earth was showered with radioactive debris from a series of nearby exploding stars which all went supernova just a few million years ago. The findings are based on the discovery of radioactive deposits of iron 60, found in sediment and crust samples taken from the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. 

Behemoth Black Hole Found in an Unlikely Place
Astronomers have discovered a near-record breaking supermassive black hole -- some 17 billion times the mass of the Sun -- in an unlikely location in a sparsely populated region of the universe. The observations mean these monsters may be far more common than previously thought. 

Traffic gridlock aboard the International Space Station
A Russian cargo ship has successfully docked with the International space station two days after blasting off on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in the central Asian republic of Kazakhstan. The Progress arrived on station just days after an American Cygnus cargo ship reached the orbiting outpost, with anther American Dragon cargo ship is also slated to dock this month.

New Space tourism rocket makes third sub-orbital flight.
Blue Origin have carried out a successful sub-orbital test flight of the company’s new reusable vertical take-off and vertical landing New Shepard spacecraft. The launch from Blue Origin’s west Texas facility reached an altitude of over 103 kilometres, the highest yet it has flown.

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You can also listen to this and past episodes, leave me a message, see the enhanced Show Notes etc at our website... www.spacetimewithstuartgary or via www.bitesz.com

SpaceTime Series 19 Ep 19

All kinds of Podcasts, for all kinds of people. 

You can subscribe to our podcasts on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Pocketcasts, Podbean, or any good podcatcher app. Stream episodes via www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly). Please rate and leave a short review. Thank you.
Our podcasts are:
*  #LTT - Listen To This with Cliff & Sharon (Offbeat, weird news stories that will make you smile...and wonder what is going on in the world); 

*The Main Ingredient with Kelli Brett (former ABC (Australia) radio broadcaster) - a foodie podcast which looks at the stories behind the food we eat; 

*The Global Angler...with Bonita 'Snagger' Brown  (Former ABC radio broadcaster) & Starlo (Australian angling legend)...angling stories and tips from around the world. 

More coming soon...we hope you enjoy.