Weekend Variety Wireless - Hour 1 - 16/6/18

Denuclearisation- In wake the historic meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, is this even possible? Also, theres more to Mars than meets the eye. Dr Grant Christie joins Mike Puru this week to discuss the latest in Astronomy. Mike is star struck when Dr Christie takes things back to basics reminding people about what he does for living. Dr Christie and Mike talk about the astronomical video of the week which puts the size and distance of stars into perspective. A dust storm is raging on Mars, covering a quarter of the planet currently. Dust storms can rapidly grow and enshroud the entire planet at once, sometimes taking months to clear. Dr Christie suggests that you get down to your local observatory to catch a peek. Was there originally life on Mars in its first few billion years of existence? Organic compounds have been found in ancient rocks on Mars which could suggest so. Also, talk on the Clarke exobelt! In the geostationary orbit, satellites orbit at exactly the same speed the earth turns. In centuries to come, it is expected that the same satellite system will be used. Dr Christie and Mike talk about how the dip in shape of the exobelt could be telling us much more. Plus, Tabbys Star has experienced brightness change unlike any other star. The two delve into the interesting theories around it. Weekend Variety Wireless with Mike Puru, in for Graeme Hill, 8pm - midnight Saturdays and Sundays, on RadioLIVE and streaming live to the Rova app on Android and iPhone. RadioLIVE.