Astronomy Astrophiz Podcast

Welcome to Astrophiz! In this episode, host Brendan O'Brien sits down with the brilliant Dr. Gabriela Ligeza, an Internal Research Fellow at the European Space Agency (ESA) in the Netherlands. Dr. Ligeza works at the absolute cutting edge of planetary exploration, bridging the gap between orbital maps and physical alien terrain. As a key scientist for ESA’s ExoMars mission, she is developing the science sampling strategies that will guide the Rosalind Franklin rover in its high-stakes hunt for ancient morphological biosignatures (fossilized signs of microbial life) in the 4-billion-year-old clays of Oxia Planum. We also dive deep into her incredible work for NASA’s Artemis program at the Johnson Space Center, where she mapped the lunar South Pole to establish the landing and geological sampling sites for the next human footprints on the Moon. In this episode, we explore: • The childhood spark: How a postcard from a NASA astronaut geologist changed her life. • Martian lighting secrets: How light and shadow in the Mars Lab reveal (or hide) the true history of alien rocks through the CLUPI (Close-Up Imager) instrument. • Four-legged space dogs: Why autonomous legged robots can conquer steep crater rims and lava tubes where traditional wheeled rovers fail. • Training Astronauts: What it takes to teach pilots and engineers to think like field geologists on the lunar surface. • The mystery of Noachian iron/magnesium phyllosilicates—the ancient Martian mud that could hold the key to answering: Are we alone? Whether you are an aspiring researcher or a casual stargazer, Dr. Ligeza’s journey from a small village in Poland to the forefront of solar system exploration is profoundly inspiring. Subscribe to Astrophiz for more interviews with the world's leading space scientists. Join us as we fight for a greener future and explore how our universe works. #Astrophiz #SpacePodcast #ESA #ExoMars #Artemis #MarsRover #PlanetaryGeology #Astrobiology

In May 2024, the "Mother’s Day Superstorm" slammed into Mars with a force Earth didn't experience. But how do we see a storm on a planet without a magnetic field? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Jacob Parrott from the European Space Agency (ESA) to discuss his groundbreaking research recently published in Nature Communications. Jacob explains how he and his team "hacked" veteran satellites—the Mars Express and the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter—to perform an unintended dance known as "mutual radio occultation." Discover how redundant hardware from failed landers became a cutting-edge sensor for Martian aeronomy, revealing how solar flares strip the atmosphere from the Red Planet. In this episode: • From biology and media internships to ESA’s grad scheme. • The physics of radio occultation: Using signal "bending" to measure atmospheric density. • Retasking the Melacom and Electra antennas for deep-space science. • Processing the data: From raw waveforms to Python and SPICE simulations. Read the full transcript and see the images at: https://www.Astrophiz.com

September Moon Phases: September 8 - Full Moon and Total eclipse of the moon around 2am for those who will be getting up very early to see it (Best viewed in WA) September 8 - Saturn close to the Full Moon (4° apart) in evening sky (also close during the Lunar eclipse in the early hours of the morning.2am central max 4am. wa has best view 2am max 3am September 10 – Moon at perigee (closest to earth) September 14 – Last Quarter Moon – Ideal for Stargazing September 22 – New Moon – ideal for Stargazing all night September 26 – Moon at apogee (furthest from earth) September 30 – 1st Quarter Moon September Highlights: Mars is still in the early evening North-Western skies. 1 September - ‘The Eyes of Clavius’ shadow effect on the moon is visible September 20 - Venus very close to Regulus in the morning twilight (0.5° apart) and close to the thin crescent Moon (4° apart). Will need binoculars and a level horizon September 17 - Jupiter near crescent moon September 22 - Earth at Equinox 29 September - ‘Luna X’ is quite visible for about 4 hours in the early evening starting on the East Coast from 6:45pm, Central States from 5:25pm and on the West Coast from 4:45pm ======================== Evening Skies: Mars is still in the early evening North-Western skies, setting around 9pm Saturn at Opposition (biggest and brightest) and very nice viewing in evening skies from now till late October. TCoronaBorealis still hasn’t gone nova, so keep watching it, ======================== Morning Skies: Uranus in the morning twilight Venus is falling in the east as the month progresses and gibbous in shape Jupiter is climbing higher in morning skies in the east ======================== Ian’s Tangent: A 3rd interstellar comet visits our system, and its tail is pointing in the wrong direction! . Arriving from the direction of the constellation Sagittarius, the interstellar comet has been officially named 3I/ATLAS. And Ian introduces us to the nature of cometary ‘ices’ as revealed by spectroscopy, and the chemical/metal composition of Comet 3I/ATLAS. The comet, 3 Km in diameter, poses no threat to Earth and will remain at a distance of at least 1.6 astronomical units (about 150 million miles or 240 million km). It is currently about 4.5 au (about 416 million miles or 670 million km) from the Sun. 3I/ATLAS will reach its closest approach to the Sun around Oct. 30, at a distance of 1.4 au (about 130 million miles or 210 million km) — just inside the orbit of Mars. The interstellar comet’s size and physical properties are being investigated by astronomers around the world. 3I/ATLAS should remain visible to ground-based telescopes through September, after which it will pass too close to the Sun to observe. It is expected to reappear on the other side of the Sun by early December, allowing for renewed observations. ======================== Ian’s Astrophotography Challenge: Capture the Lunar Eclipse Top Tip: As the eclipse progresses you will need to adjust your exposure settings as the brightness of the moon changes.

Astrophiz Astronomy 219 ~ Dr Ian Musgrave’s August SkyGuide & Astrophotography Challenge August Moon Phases: August 1 - 1st Quarter Moon August 2 - Moon at apogee (furthest from earth) August 9 - Full Moon August 15 - Moon at perigee (closest to earth) August 16 - Last Quarter Moon - Ideal for Stargazing August 23 - New Moon - also ideal for Stargazing August 30 - Moon at apogee again! (furthest from earth) August 31 - 1st Quarter (Blue) Moon again! 'Luna X’ is quite visible in early evening on August 1st 3 August - Occultation of 2 Scorpii and 3 Scorpio by the moon Evening Skies: Mars is fading, but obvious in the Western evening sky, setting around 9PM 3 August - Mars and Beta Virginis are extremely close ( <1° apart) 12 & 13 August: Saturn rising very close ro the waning Moon 26 August: Mars near to thin crescent Moon (just 4° apart) Morning Skies: All of August: Saturn is lowering close to Neptune (1-2°) in morning sky 3 & 4 August:Venus close to star Propus (𝝶 Geminorum, 1°) 19 August - Lineup of Jupiter, Venus and Mercury 20 August: Jupiter near crescent Moon (6° apart) 5:45am East 21 August: Venus near thin crescent Moon (7° apart) TCoronaBorealis still hasn’t gone nova, so keep watching it, Two Novae are currently observable in Southern Skies. Nova V462 Lupi is still visible in the constellation Lupus, just above the constellation Scorpius, it’s quite obvious if you age a chart and binoculars (see Ian's ‘Astroblogger’ website for the chart) Nova V572 Velorum A nova has erupted in the constellation of Vela, the sail. Known as Nova V572 Velorum it is faint (around magnitude 5.7-5.8, at the unaided eye threshold) and may be glimpsed by those with good visual acuity under dark sky conditions. However, it is best with binoculars of a small telescope. It is well placed for southern hemisphere observers and visible from the early evening on. It is close to the Southen Pelaides (Theta Carina) and the eta Carina nebula. (see Ian's ‘Astroblogger’ website for the chart) Ian’s Tangent: Bogong Moths using the Milky Way to navigate 1000 kilometre flights Ian’s astrophotography Challenge: ’Shooting the Core'

July SkyGuide: Moon Phases: July 3 - 1st Quarter Moon Note: July 4 - Earth is at aphelion (furthest) with respect to our sun July 5 - Moon at apogee (furthest from earth)) July 10 - Full Moon July 18 - Last Quarter Moon - Ideal Stargazing July 20 - Moon at perigee (closest to eart) July 25 - New Moon - also ideal Stargazing Evening Skies: Mercury is high in the early evening twilight July 3 - Mercury close to the Beehive cluster (in binoculars) Mars is getting lower in the North-west, and close to the crescent moon on 28 and 29 July. Morning Skies: Uranus (in binoculars) near to the Pleiades cluster Venus is falling back to the horizon, and is a distinct half-moon shape and is near Uranus 3-6 July Towards the end of the month, Venus comes close to Jupiter. Saturn is very high in the morning sky and near Neptune (in binoculars) TCoronaBorealis still hasn’t gone nova, so keep watching it, A new Nova V472 Lupi is now visible in the constellation Lupus, just above the constellation Scorpius, it’s quite obvious if you age a chart and binoculars (see Ian's ‘Astroblogger’ website for the chart) Occultation of Antares on July 8 (best seen in Perth) Southern Delta Aquariid Meteor shower peaks 3am in the NE five handspans west of Saturn on the morning of Sunday July 31st ( active 12 July - 23 August) Ian’s Tangent: Observing the Dark Emu and understanding how different cultures record ‘dark constellations’. Ian's Astrophotography Challenge: ‘Backyard Astrophysics’ Capturing Nova V472 Lupi, and recording how it fades over time.

Astrophiz 215: Dr Ian Musgrave’s June SkyGuide Summary: Mars close to thin crescent moon. Occultation of Antares behind the moon in the early evening sky. The moon comes close to some of the bright planets. … and Mars is close to the moon again at the end of the month. Moon Phases: June 3 ~ 1st Quarter Moon, and another time to catch the ‘Lunar X’ late in the night, about 11pm for Australian Eastern states. 10:30 for central states and 9pm in the West. Lunar X Tip: take an image each 1/2 hour from moonrise. June 7 ~ Apogee, furthest from earth June 11 ~ Full Moon June 19 ~ Last Quarter Moon ~ ideal for stargazing June 23 ~ Perigee, closest to earth June 25 ~ New Moon ~ ideal for stargazing June 21 ~ Solstice: shortest day in Southern Hemisphere. longest day in Northern Hemisphere Evening Skies: Jupiter is lost into the twilight Mercury returns to evening skies mid-month, on the 27th it’s 3°from the moon an hour after sunset, and will continue to be excellent until mid-July. Mars is low in the NW evening skies, and is still readily visible T Coronae Borealis is visible in late evening skies and still has not ‘Gone Nova’ so the challenge is still … to capture a Nova before and after it blows! This Nova iswell ‘overdue’ so all eyes are on it! Tuesday 10 June ~ The Occultation of Antares by the Moon is easily seen in binoculars and telescopes (for times, check Ian’s Astroblogger website) Also June is a great opportunity to see The Dark Emu in the south, the Southern Cross and the magnificent globular cluster Omega Centauri is also at it’s highest in the south. Morning Skies: Venus is furthest from the sun on 1 June, and is a half-moon shape in telescopes, and beside the crescent moon on 22 June Saturn is climbing higher in the morning sky, Scorpius is a feature in the dark morning sky in the east Saggitarius and the Heart of the Milky Way are also rising, a good opportunity to catch the Triffid and Lagoon nebulas in Saggitarius. Ian’s ’Tangent’ Ian discusses long-lived aspects of Indigenous astronomy like The Eagle, Stingray and Dark Emu, and how Western constellation names have changed over time. eg Argo was declared obsolete in 1930. Ian’s Astrophotography Challenges: 1. Capture The Occultation of Antares on June 10th (almost full moon) 2. Then on a dark night with no moon, have a go at The Dark Emu, with your mobile phone/DSLR/camera, conveniently at 8pm in the south near Scorpius, the Pointers and the Southern Cross. Tips: Use your device's highest ISO (ASA) Under urban skies, take 10 x1second exposures, and stack them using a free stacking program or app. Under dark skies, you can take longer exposures If stacking in RAW, do a ‘dark frame’ subtraction If stacking in JPEG, don’t use dark frame subtraction.

May Moon Phases: May 4 ~1st Quarter May 11 ~ Moon at Apogee May 13 ~ Full Moon May 20 ~ Last Quarter Great for star gazing May 26 ~ Moon at Perigee May 27 ~ New Moon Great for star gazing What’s Up in May? Planets: Evening Skies Jupiter is difficult to see this month Mars is visible, and nice to see just an hour after sunset Uranus will return in a couple of months Most of the planetary action is in the morning sky, Mercury Saturn and Venus are the standouts, but Mercury is lost in the twilight by mid month, returning to evening skies in June. May 2 ~ Asteroid Vesta (almost a dwarf planet) is at opposition (closest to earth) May 8 ~ Eta Aquariids Meteor Shower should be pretty good this year (debris from Halley’s Comet) Great meteor spotting tips in the audio Will TCrB go Nova this month? Keep watching Ian recommends VESTA watching with naked eye under dark skies, in Binocs & ’scopes in the ‘Burbs. See his Astroblog, the Astrophiz FB page or Southern Skywatch for photos and easy finder charts Ian’s Tangent: The Clouds of Mars. Ian tells us how earth's clouds were named, and about the clouds on other planets Websites to visit: * https://cloudatlas.wmo-DOT-int/en/home.html * https://europlanet-society-DOT-org/cloud-atlas-of-mars-showcases-array-of-atmospheric-phenomena/ ( * copy & paste, then replace the DOT with an actual dot) Ian’s Astrophotography Challenge: Capture asteroid VESTA on your phone or camera. Great tips in the audio _______________________________ Next Up on Astrophiz: In two weeks were zooming over 14 timezones to speak with Dr Anya Nugent who is an enthusiastically awesome astrophysicist who does exciting research into some of the most powerful phenomena in our universe. You’ll love her stories about how she uses some of the world's most powerful optical and near-infrared observatories to hunt down the host galaxies of supernovae, kilonovae, and gamma-ray bursts to understand their unique origins … see you in two weeks