Astrophiz71 - Aliens are cool

Astrophiz 71: John Sarkissian ~ ‘Aliens are cool!’ AKA SETI, PAFs & Cryogenics PLUS: 'What's up Doc', direct from Dr @ianfmusgrave ’s Astroblog Listen here: This is the fourth of 6 ‘Astrotour’ episodes of Astrophiz, where we are publishing recordings of interviews I did on a two and a half thousand kilometre tour of five of Australia’s finest Eastern state radio and optical observatories. Today’s feature interview is with John Sarkissian at the CSIRO Parkes Radio Observatory (Yes, he works with Dr Jane Kaczmarek who we featured in Episode 68) John tells us how ‘The Dish’ is contracted to work on the Breakthrough Listen project to search for extraterrestrial intelligences. It’s a SETI project involving some of the world’s most powerful radio telescopes. He explains beautifully why and how cryogenics is incorporated into the Parkes and other dishes and how their next upgrade after the amazing UWL (ultra wide band) receiver will be the design, build and installation of PAFs (Phased Array Feeds) In our regular segment for astrophotographers and observers, Dr Ian 'Astroblog’ Musgrave usually presents ‘What’s Up Doc?’. However due to a bandwith fail on our Skype link, I read from his fabulous ‘Astroblog’. In this episode he tells us what to look for in the night sky and I give a brief report on viewing the Geminid Meteor shower that peaks on December 14. In the News: .1. NASA InSight Mission successful Mars landing + what else in on and orbiting Mars. .2. Barnard's Star possibly has a cool exoplanet