- 10 minutes 51 secondsGuide To Space - Finally! An Explanation for One of the Most Powerful Supernovae Ever Seen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEZu3pXAFWY
Hosted by Fraser Cain.
From Jan 31, 2020.
In 2006, astronomers spotted the telltale sign of a supernova detonating in the galaxy NGC 1260, located about 240 million light-years away in the constellation of Perseus. As telescopes around the world turned their collective light-gathering power on the expanding explosion designated as SN 2006gy, they realized they were seeing something very unusual.
This clearly wasn't a regular supernova. It grew to be 100 times brighter than the typical stellar explosion and lasted much much longer.
More than a decade after that cosmic explosion, astronomers finally think they know what series of events led to the release of this much energy, now called a superluminous supernova. A red giant ate a white dwarf. An event so rare it probably accounts for only 1 in 1,000 supernovae!
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13 May 2026, 11:00 am - 7 minutes 17 secondsDeep Astronomy - Discoveries of JWST Ep. 6: Revealing the Universe's First Stars
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEsLOAJWEo8
Hosted by Tony Darnell.
From May 30, 2025.
Join this channel to get access to special content including livestreams!
The James Webb Space Telescope has unveiled candidates for the very first stars to shine in the universe. Here is what it found.
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12 May 2026, 11:00 am - 35 minutes 39 secondsAstronomy Cast Ep. 793: Star Trek Science
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MqoQOXdQis
Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest)
Streamed live May 4, 2026.
Today we continue our mini-series; evaluating the science of various sci-fi franchises. We did Star Wars last week, this week tackle Star Trek. From transporters to warp drives, from phasers to photon torpedos. Let's tackle what Star Trek gets right and wrong about science. Let's look at the science of our galaxy, some day far in the future.
This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast
In this episode, we'd like to thank: Andrew Poelstra, Burry Gowen, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Eric Lee, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Jeanette Wink, Joe McTee, Michael Purcell, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler
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The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu
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11 May 2026, 11:00 am - 6 minutes 5 secondsTravelers in the Night Eps. 879 & 880: Lurking Asteroid & Carrington Anticipated
Dr. Al Grauer hosts. Dr. Albert D. Grauer ( @Nmcanopus ) is an observational asteroid hunting astronomer. Dr. Grauer retired from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2006. travelersinthenight.org
From December 2025.
Today's 2 topics:
- The Dark Energy Camera on the National Science Foundation's Blanco 4-meter telescope on Cerro Tololo in Chile is taking near Sun twilight images to search for asteroids, hidden in the glare of our Sun, sneaking up on home planet.
- Just before noon on September 1st of 1859 Richard Carrington and Richard Hodgson were making sketches of clusters of sunspots when they were nearly blinded by an intense solar flare. 17.6 hours later a geomagnetic storm thought to be caused by a solar coronal mass ejection traveling at some 1,500 miles per second slammed into the magnetic field surrounding our home planet. We missed being hit with a such large coronal mass ejection by only 9 days in July of 2012. Next time we might not be that lucky.
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10 May 2026, 11:00 am - 10 minutes 26 secondsNoirLab - NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory Discovers Thousands of Asteroids
Scientists at NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory, jointly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science, have submitted an unprecedented set of asteroid detections to the IAU Minor Planet Center, including hundreds of distant worlds beyond Neptune and 33 previously unknown near-Earth asteroids. In this podcast, Dr. Mario Juric discusses how these asteroids were discovered and what we can look forward to in the future from the Rubin Observatory.
Bios:
Rob Sparks is in the Communications, Education and Engagement group at NSF's NOIRLab in Tucson, Arizona.
Prof. Mario Juric is the P.I. of UW's contribution to the construction of the Rubin Observatory, Senior Fellow at UW's eScience Institute, and director emeritus of UW's Institute for Data-intensive Astrophysics and Cosmology (DiRAC). Once fully operational in 2026, the Rubin Observatory will deliver the largest sky survey in the history of mankind, answering questions from the nature of Dark Energy to discovering potential "killer" asteroids. Prof. Juric led the definition of Rubin data products and oversees the solar system team.
Prof. Juric received his PhD in astrophysical sciences from Princeton University and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study and a Hubble Fellow at Harvard University. His research is in the area of data-intensive survey astronomy and AI. He developed a range of astronomical software products and techniques, including software for asteroid detection, mapping the Milky Way, novel astronomical databases, and cloud-based astronomical data analysis systems.
Prof. Juric discovered what was at the time the largest known structure in the Universe (the Sloan Great Wall; with J. Richard Gott), a dwarf galaxy colliding with the Milky Way (the Virgo Overdensity; with Z. Ivezic), and over a hundred asteroids (including 22899 Alconrad, the smallest known main-belt binary asteroid; with Korado Korlevic). A Jupiter-family comet 183P/Korlevic-Juric is named after him.
Links:
NOIRLab Press Release
NOIRLab social media channels can be found at:
https://www.facebook.com/NOIRLabAstro
https://twitter.com/NOIRLabAstro
https://www.instagram.com/noirlabastro/
https://www.youtube.com/noirlabastro
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The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu
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9 May 2026, 11:00 am - 20 minutes 16 secondsEVSN - The One With the Dark Matter
From May 6, 2026.
In this episode, we're going to be looking back in time at how Dark Matter may have influenced the formation of Supermassive Blackholes, newly catalogued remnants of left over hydrogen, an ancient star found as part of a class observing project, and tales from the launch pad.
NBC's "Hubble telescope celebrates 36th anniversary" with Morgan Chesky:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_ekWlaok3k
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The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu
Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at [email protected].
8 May 2026, 11:00 am - 30 minutes 54 secondsActual Astronomy - The Observer's Calendar for May 2026
Hosted by Chris Beckett & Shane Ludtke, two amateur astronomers in Saskatchewan who enjoy teaching astronomy classes and showing the public views through their telescopes. [email protected]
Observer's Calendar for May 2026 on Episode 533 of the Actual Astronomy podcast. I'm Chris and joining me is Shane. We are amateur astronomers who love looking up at the night sky and this podcast is for everyone who enjoys going out under the stars.
— David Nagler Question show reminder.
2 Full Moons!
May 1 - Full Moon — Carbon Star RY Mon best in evening
May 2 - Alpha CVn Colourful Double
May 3 - Antares 0.5-degrees N of Moon
May 4 - Carbon Star X CnC best in evening
May 6 - Eta Aquaria Meteors best in predawn skies but 3/4 Moon interferes
May 7 - Markarian's Chain well placed
Key Details of Markarian's Chain:
- Location: Situated in the constellation Virgo, between the stars Denebola and Vindemiatrix, part of the larger Virgo Cluster.
- Key Members: The chain is anchored by the large elliptical galaxies M84 and M86. Other notable members include NGC 4477, NGC 4473, NGC 4461, NGC 4458, and NGC 4438.
- Observation: The brightest members are visible in small telescopes, but it is a popular target for astrophotography in the spring, often requiring a wide field of view to capture the entire string.
- Interaction: While some galaxies are randomly aligned, at least seven members share a common physical motion. The pair NGC 4438 and NGC 4435, known as "The Eyes," are actively interacting and distorting one another.
May 8 - 2 Shadows on Jupiter Ganymede & Europa 8:44pm EDT Eastern North America
May 9 - Last Quarter Moon — NGC 4147 well placed
May 10 - Lunar Curtis X visible
May 11 - NGC 4038/4039 well placed
Key Facts About NGC 4038/4039:
- Location: Constellation Corvus, the Crow.
- Distance: Generally estimated between and million light-years.
- Other Names: Caldwell 60/Caldwell 61, the Antennae Galaxies, NGC 4038/4039.
- Discovery: Found by William Herschel in 1785.
- Interaction Type: Colliding/Merging galaxies.
- Appearance: The collision produces long tidal tails of stars, gas, and dust resembling insect antennae
May 12 - Mare Orientale
May 13 - NGC 5634 well placed
May 15 - Ganymede & Europa shadows visible on Jupiter 11:19 pm EDT
May 16 - New Moon but Old crescent in east before Sunrise today.
May 18 - Venus 3-degrees S of Moon
May 19 - Long period star X Oph at max 11:30pm
May 20 - Jupiter 3-degrees S of Moon - Not here
May 22 - Ganymede & Europa shadows visible on Jupiter 11:54 PM EDT WEST Fav.
May 23 - Callisto & Io discs visible on Jupiter 10:15pm
May 25 - Lunar Straight Wall visible also Longomontanus Ray
May 26 - Jewelled Handle
This is a monthly lunar phenomenon occurring around the first quarter moon (approx. 10–11 days after new moon). It appears as a bright, illuminated arc formed by sunlight hitting the peaks of the Montes Jura mountain range, which separates the dark night side from the bright day side, making it look like a handle attached to the moon
May 29 - Asteroid Amphitrite at opposition Mag. 9.5
29 Amphitrite is one of the largest S-type asteroids in the Main Belt, orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. Discovered on March 1, 1854, by Albert Marth, it was the only asteroid he ever found and is named after the Greek sea goddess Amphitrite, wife of Poseidon.
May 30 - Asteroid Lutetia at Opposition Mag. 9.8
21 Lutetia is a large, irregularly shaped asteroid in the main asteroid belt, measuring approximately 120 kilometers along its longest axis. It is highly significant to astronomers as a "survivor" or planetesimal from the early formation of the Solar System, roughly 4.5 billion years ago.
May 31 - 2nd Full Moon for May
Please subscribe and share the show with other stargazers you know and send us show ideas, observations and questions to [email protected]
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The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu
Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at [email protected].
7 May 2026, 11:00 am - 1 hour 27 secondsAwesome Astronomy - AstroCamp Live Show
Paul Hill & Dr. Jenifer "Dr. Dust" Millard host.
Damien Phillips, John Wildridge and Dustin Ruoff produce.
May Part 1.
A show recorded with the happy campers of Cwmdu. We talk smart scopes, late nights, planetary formation, news on Comet 3I and more on the Hubble tension.
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The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu
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6 May 2026, 11:00 am - 23 minutes 35 secondsAsk A Spaceman Ep. 271: What Happens When Light Goes Boom?
Cherenkov Radiation!
Hosted by Dr. Paul M. Sutter.
How can matter ever go faster than light? What happens when it does? Who discovered this, and what is it good for? I discuss these questions and more in today's Ask a Spaceman!
Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter
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Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter
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Keep those questions about space, science, astronomy, astrophysics, physics, and cosmology coming to #AskASpaceman for COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE OF TIME AND SPACE!
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The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu
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5 May 2026, 11:00 am - 41 minutes 7 secondsAstronomy Cast Ep. 792: Star Wars Science
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NcTe-98ZlA
Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest)
Streamed live April 29, 2026.
May the fourth be with you! Isn't that what people say on the international holiday known as Star Wars Day? Today we're gonna talk about the science in everyone's favorite sci-fi fantasy stories. Which of it is real, and which is essentially magic? Let's find out! Let's look at the science of a galaxy long ago and far away. (Did you just hear the theme music in your head? We heard it start in our head!)
This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast
In this episode, we'd like to thank: Andrew Poelstra, Burry Gowen, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Eric Lee, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Jeanette Wink, Joe McTee, Michael Purcell, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler
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The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu
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4 May 2026, 11:00 am - 6 minutes 5 secondsTravelers in the Night Eps. 877 & 878: Close Grazer & Comet Fragment
Dr. Al Grauer hosts. Dr. Albert D. Grauer ( @Nmcanopus ) is an observational asteroid hunting astronomer. Dr. Grauer retired from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2006. travelersinthenight.org
From November & December 2025.
Today's 2 topics:
- On a busy night of asteroid hunting with the 90 inch, University of Arizona's Steward Observatory Bok telescope on Kitt Peak in Arizona, my Catalina Sky Survey teammate Vivian Carvajal discovered 13 new Earth approaching objects. One of them now known as 2025 TF immediately got her attention as it streaked through the constellation of Pegasus. Another space rock 2020 VT4 came about 30 miles closer to the surface of our home planet giving 2025 TF second place as a grazing non impactor.
- My Catalina Sky Survey teammate Vivian Carvajal was asteroid hunting in the constellation of Eridanus with the 90 inch, University of Arizona's Bok telescope on Kitt Peak when she was treated to an amazing sight. Comet COMET 240P/NEAT with a small version of itself cruising along beside it.It is virtually impossible to predict if Vivian's fragment 240P-B will survive to make another approach to the Sun in 2033 or so.
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The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu
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3 May 2026, 11:00 am - More Episodes? Get the App