Astronomy Minute

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.

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.”

01-04
02:00

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.”

01-04
02:18

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.

12-20
01:35

What is the Hubble Space Telescope?

A brief description of the Hubble Space Telescope and its scientific capabilities.

12-14
01:38

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.

12-14
01:27

What is Meant by Spiral Nebula?

A brief historical summary of what we mean when we refer to "Spiral Nebulae." 

06-19
01:08

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.

05-31
01:38

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.

05-18
02:15

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.

05-10
01:18

What Does it Mean to “Know” Something in Science?

A brief description of what scientists mean when they say we "know" something.

04-10
01:58

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.

04-08
01:57

What are Interacting Galaxies?

A brief description of what we mean when we talk about interacting galaxies.

03-09
01:35

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.

03-09
01:50

What are Giant Molecular Clouds?

A brief description of giant molecular clouds and why they are important for stars.

02-25
01:08

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. 

02-24
01:17

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.

02-04
02:27

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."

12-18
01:44

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.

08-03
01:58

What is a White Dwarf Star?

A brief description of a white dwarf star, which is the end-state of a star that is less than 8 times the mass of Sun. 

07-28
01:50

How do We Know the Ages of Stars?

A brief description of how we use the HR Diagram and the main sequence to measure the ages of stars in groups and clusters.

06-23
01:51

Recommend Channels