On August 12th and 13th, the Perseid meteor shower will peak, giving night sky watchers the best chance at spotting a fireball. But if the bright “supermoon” drowns them out, radio astronomer Nicole Gugliucci has another option—listen to the meteors instead. Gugliucci explains how to build an "itty bitty radio network" with an old satellite dish, or how to tune into the display with a simple AM/FM radio. 

Learn how to do it yourself at http://scifri.me/1u7JnDf

Close Your Eyes And Listen To The Night Sky

Ryan Rykaczewski describes one of the most massive migrations on the planet, driven by the sun. Image by Tintinnidguy (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons 

#ExplainTheSun  - The Largest Migration on The Planet

Once, there was the ordinary incandescent light bulb. It shone brightly, but wasted much of the energy put into it as heat. Then came the compact fluorescent. And as costs have dropped, consumers have increasingly been switching to light-emitting diode (LED) technology for many lighting applications, in an ongoing search for a more efficient bulb. Now, in work published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, researchers report that nanophotonic devices may be able to breathe new life into old incandescent technology. Marin Soljačić and Ognjen Ilic, two authors of the study, explain how they’ve been able to “recycle” some of the incandescent bulb’s wasted heat and re-emit it as visible light, boosting efficiency.

For the Lowly Incandescent Bulb, a Ray of Hope

Science, technology, and other cool stuff from public radio's Science Friday. It's brain fun, for curious people. From WNYC Studios.

Close Your Eyes And Listen To The Night Sky

SciFri

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