Join us this week for our first News Roundup of the New Year, which is also the final episode of the Weekly Space Hangout! Thank you to everyone who made this show possible over the years and who helped bring science to the community! Read More
Weekly Space Hangout: January 4, 2023 – Dr. Eddie Schwieterman Discusses Nitrous Oxide as a Biosignature
Historically, scientists using spectrographic analysis to study exoplanet atmospheres have considered oxygen and methane as two key biosignatures when identifying “life-friendly” planets. But could nitrous oxide (N2O) — aka “Laughing Gas” — also be a reliable biosignature? A recent paper published in the October, 2022, Astrophysical Journal explains why N2O can — and should — be included as a biosignature gas. Tonight we are pleased to welcome the paper’s lead author, Dr. Eddie Schwieterman, astrobiologist at UC Riverside, to discuss why N2O is an indicator of life. Read More
Weekly Space Hangout: December 14, 2022 – Chillin’ with Dr. Francis Halzen, PI of IceCube
This week we are pleased to welcome Dr. Francis Halzen, Principal Investigator for IceCube, discussed the significance of high energy neutrino emissions from NGC 1068 (M77) that were detected by IceCube. These detections will aid scientists in understanding how active galaxies “work,” and potentially usher in the age of Neutrino Astronomy. Read More
Weekly Space Hangout: December 7, 2022 – The Science of the L1527 “Butterfly” with Dr. Karl Stapelfeldt
During our November 16th show, Carolyn Collins Petersen introduced us to the hourglass/butterfly of L1527, an image captured by JWST using its onboard NIRCam. This week we are joined by Dr. Karl Stapelfeldt, Chief Scientist for NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program at JPL who will help us understand the science behind this amazing structure. Read More