Intro Astronomy 2013. Class 13: Galaxies, the Universe, Life

Guests

• Bill Nye, Chief Executive Officer

Lecture 13 of Dr. Bruce Betts' 2013 online Introductory Planetary Science and Astronomy course begins with a conversation with Bill Nye about profound questions in the universe, then covers galaxies (our place in the Milky Way, types of galaxies, Hubble Deep Field), the Universe (determining distances, expansion of the universe, Big Bang theory and evolution of the universe, WMAP and Planck results, dark matter, dark energy, neutrinos), and life in the universe (Earth life requirements, astrobiology, SETI). Recorded at California State University Dominguez Hills.

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Intro Astronomy 2013. Class 9: Uranus and Neptune Systems, and Trans Neptunian Object Discovery

Guests

• Mike Brown, Planetary Astronomer, California Institute of Technology

Lecture 9 of Dr. Bruce Betts' 2013 online Introductory Planetary Science and Astronomy course starts with guest Dr. Mike Brown of Caltech, discoverer of Trans Neptunian Objects, then covers the Uranian and Neptunian systems including atmospheres, interiors, rings, and moons including Triton. Recorded at California State University Dominguez Hills.

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Intro Astronomy 2013. Class 3: Telescopes, the Moon

Lecture 3 of Dr. Bruce Betts' online Introductory Planetary Science and Astronomy course covers optical, radio, and space telescopes, the history, exploration, and importance of the Moon to our Solar System understanding, as well as impact cratering, lunar tides, phases, and solar eclipses. Recorded at California State University Dominguez Hills.

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Intro Astronomy 2013. Class 6: Mars (cont.), Asteroid Threat

Guests

• Emily Lakdawalla, Senior Editor and Planetary Evangelist, The Planetary Society

Lecture 6 of Dr. Bruce Betts' 2013 online Introductory Planetary Science and Astronomy course covers Mars (continued: Phoenix, rovers Curiosity and Opportunity, including an update from Emily Lakdawalla of The Planetary Society, and moons), and the near Earth asteroid threat to Earth, including statistics, past impacts, and information on the recent 2012 DA14 flyby and Chelyabinsk fireball. Recorded at California State University Dominguez Hills.

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Planetary Society Hangout: Feb 7th, 2013 - Snow on Mars and the future of Planetary Science with Paul Hayne

Guests

• Paul Hayne, Research Scientist, JPL
• Bruce Betts, Director of Projects, The Planetary Society
• Casey Dreier, Advocacy and Outreach Strategist, The Planetary Society

This week our guest is Dr. Paul Hayne from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Dr. Hayne studies snow and ice on Mars, extreme temperatures of the Moon, is a science collaborator on the Cassini mission. He also founded the group Young Scientists for Planetary Exploration to help organize early-career scientists to be aware of the politics of space.

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Video guide to the February 15, 2013 Close Pass by Asteroid 2012 DA14

Planetary Society Director of Projects Bruce Betts reassures us in this brief and fascinating video explanation of what will happen--and what won't happen--when this big asteroid comes closer to Earth than many satellites.

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Planetary Society Hangout: Jan 31, 2013: Sarah Noble on Working on the Moon from Washington

Guests

• Sarah Noble
• Emily Lakdawalla, Senior Editor and Planetary Evangelist, The Planetary Society

We welcomed guest Sarah Noble to our weekly Google+ Hangout. Sarah is a lunar geologist and a civil servant working in the Research & Analysis program at NASA Headquarters. We'll talk about squiggly lines on the Moon, about working at NASA HQ, and the lunar mission launching later this year, LADEE, for which Sarah has recently been named Program Scientist.

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Planetary Society Hangout: Jan 24th, 2013 - Hunting Asteroids with Gary Hug

Guests

• Gary Hug, Astronomer, Sandlot Observatory
• Bruce Betts, Director of Projects, The Planetary Society
• Casey Dreier, Advocacy and Outreach Strategist, The Planetary Society

Gary Hug is an asteroid hunter. He scans the skies every night looking for new near-Earth objects and refining orbital measurements for existing ones. He is also one of the Planetary Society's Gene Shoemaker Grant recipients, which is our program to provide highly-skilled amateur astronomers with the equipment and support needed to continue the search for potentially hazardous asteroids.

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Planetary Society Hangout: Jan 17th, 2013 - Curiosity Drilling with Joel Hurowitz

Guests

• Joel Hurowitz, MSL Science Team Member, JPL
• Emily Lakdawalla, Senior Editor and Planetary Evangelist, The Planetary Society

Dr. Joel Hurowitz from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory joins Emily Lakdawalla this week to talk about Curiosity's drilling and sampling system.

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Planetary Society Hangout: Jan 10th, 2013 - Exoplanets Everywhere with Astronomer Meg Schwamb

Guests

• Meg Schwamb, Postdoctoral associate, Yale University
• Casey Dreier, Advocacy and Outreach Strategist, The Planetary Society
• Emily Lakdawalla, Senior Editor and Planetary Evangelist, The Planetary Society

Join Dr. Meg Swchwamb to discuss the huge number of exoplanets being found by NASA's Kepler mission.

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