Astronomy Minute

Ata Sarajedini

Learn the basics of astronomy in one-to-two minute packets of concise information about specific topics. You are a busy person with a short attention span, and you want to learn about astronomical topics in a short amount of time. Your host Professor Ata is a PhD research astronomer and astrophysicist and a noted authority on stellar and galactic astronomy. I welcome your feedback at ata.sarajedini@gmail.com. See the web site astronomyminute.org for more. The podcast logo is courtesy of Zachary Greathouse and shows a globular cluster photo taken by the author with the Hubble Space Telescope.

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20 episodes
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English

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Jul 20, 2023 · 1 min
What is an Astronomical Observatory?
A brief description of what constitutes and astronomical observatory with a few examples in the real world that you have probably heard of.
Jul 19, 2023 · 1 min
What is Occam's Razor?
A brief description of the philosophical concept known as Occam's Razor, which asserts that “the simplest explanation of a particular natural phenomenon is usually the correct one.”
S2 · E5
Jan 4, 2023 · 2 min
Why is the Webb Telescope Optimized to Observe Infrared Light?
A brief description of why the Webb Telescope is optimized to observe infrared light. Hint: it has to do with the four main science areas that it will be studying: “Other Worlds,” “Star Lifecycle,” “Galaxies Over Time,” and “Early Universe.”
S2 · E4
Jan 4, 2023 · 2 min
What are the Main Science Goals of the Webb Telescope?
A brief description of the four main science goals of the James Webb Space Telescope - “Other Worlds,” “Star Lifecycle,” “Galaxies Over Time,” and “Early Universe.”
S2 · E3
Dec 20, 2022 · 1 min
What is the James Webb Space Telescope?
A brief description of the James Webb Space Telescope and how it's different than the Hubble Space Telescope.
S2 · E2
Dec 14, 2022 · 1 min
What is the Hubble Space Telescope?
A brief description of the Hubble Space Telescope and its scientific capabilities.
S2 · E1
Dec 14, 2022 · 1 min
Why Do We Put Telescopes in Space?
A brief description of the two primary reasons why we send telescopes into space to observe and study celestial objects.
S1 · E175
Jun 19, 2022 · 1 min
What is Meant by Spiral Nebula?
A brief historical summary of what we mean when we refer to "Spiral Nebulae."
S1 · E174
May 31, 2022 · 1 min
What is the Big Crunch?
A brief description of what will happen if the universe stops expanding and collapses back on itself - this is known as the Big Crunch.
S1 · E173
May 18, 2022 · 2 min
What are the Basic Properties of Astronomical Objects?
A brief description of the basic properties of astronomical objects such as mass, radius, distance, luminosity, and temperature.
S1 · E172
May 10, 2022 · 1 min
What is the Local Group of Galaxies?
A brief description of the Local Group of galaxies which contains the Milky Way, the Andromeda galaxy, and dozens of dwarf galaxies all gravitationally bound to each other.
S1 · E171
Apr 10, 2022 · 1 min
What Does it Mean to “Know” Something in Science?
A brief description of what scientists mean when they say we "know" something.
S1 · E170
Apr 8, 2022 · 1 min
How Can Atoms and Thus Matter be Mostly Empty Space?
A brief description of the structure of atoms - how they are mostly empty space - and why the everyday objects you use don't collapse and fall in on themselves.
S1 · E169
Mar 9, 2022 · 1 min
What are Interacting Galaxies?
A brief description of what we mean when we talk about interacting galaxies.
S1 · E168
Mar 9, 2022 · 1 min
How do the Sun and Other Stars Shine?
A brief description of nuclear fusion, which is the process by which stars produce light so that they can shine.
S1 · E167
Feb 25, 2022 · 1 min
What are Giant Molecular Clouds?
A brief description of giant molecular clouds and why they are important for stars.
S1 · E166
Feb 24, 2022 · 1 min
How do We Know that the Milky Way Galaxy is Spiral in Shape?
A brief description of the observational evidence we have supporting our assertion that the Milky Way galaxy is spiral in shape.
S1 · E165
Feb 4, 2022 · 2 min
What is Meant by the 21 Centimeter Radiation of Hydrogen?
A brief description of the 21 centimeter radiation (light) that the Hydrogen atom emits and the mechanism behind this emission.
S1 · E164
Dec 18, 2021 · 1 min
How are Neutron Stars and Pulsars Related?
A brief description of what astronomers mean when they say that "all pulsars are neutron stars but not all neutron stars are pulsars."
S1 · E163
Aug 3, 2021 · 1 min
What is a Neutron Star?
A brief description of neutron stars, which are essentially the end state of massive stars some of which become pulsars.

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