Stars, Supernovae and Geysers

Artist’s illustration of Supernova 1987A. Image credit: Credit: A. Angelich / NRAO / AUI / NSF It’s been a busy month for Cardiff astronomers (and their colleagues). From gravity’s role in star formation to molecules found in a supernovae explosion, and from debris around neutron stars to organic molecules emitted from one of Saturn’s moons, there’s a lot to talk about. I took the opportunity to chat to Emily Drabek-Maunder, Mikako Matsuura and Gwen Williams about their work. As usual, Edward Gomez and I also talk about stories from around the world. Astronomers from the US travelled to Argentina to witness the occultation of 2014 MU69 – the next icy world to be visited by the New Horizons spacecraft. Finally, July saw the end of the very successful LISA Pathfinder mission. An extended edition of an original broadcast on 26th July 2017 as part of Pythagoras’ Trousers on Radio Cardiff. For an archive of Pythagorean Astronomy, visit pythagastro.uk.