Synopsis
The monthly astronomy podcast from the makers of BBC Sky at Night Magazine
Episodes
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How spaceflight hammers the human body
07/05/2026 Duration: 19minScientist Tim Etheridge talks Artemis II, crewed spaceflight and the toll of weightlessness on astronauts spending long periods of time in space. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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May's 'blue Moon’ – what we'll really see
29/04/2026 Duration: 28minPete Lawrence and Paul Abel reveal what's in the sky in May 2026, including the ever-improving return of Venus and what astronomers really think about the 'blue Moon' on 31 May. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Strange signals from the galactic centre
16/04/2026 Duration: 17minAstronomer Shyam Balaji reveals how three cosmic signals could be an invisible dark force in deep space. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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The Evening Star is back
29/03/2026 Duration: 29minVenus is slowly returning to the evening sky, marking the re-emergence of one of the best naked-eye objects. Find out what else is happening with the planets, the Moon, stars constellations and deep-sky objects in April 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Exploring the radio Universe
16/03/2026 Duration: 32minRadio astronomer Dr Emma Chapman reveals how radio waves enable scientists to explore the cosmos, from mapping Venus to searching for alien life and discovering the origins of the Universe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Spring stargazing is here
02/03/2026 Duration: 31minFind out which planets are best in the night sky in March 2026, plus key times to observe the Moon, stars and constellations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Revealing the secrets of Mercury
09/02/2026 Duration: 30minThe European Space Agency's BepiColombo mission arrives at Mercury later this year. Planetary scientist Emma Bunce reveals the mysteries the mission could uncover. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Jupiter dominates the night sky in February 2026
30/01/2026 Duration: 28minFind out the best things to see in the sky this month, from the planets and constellations to deep-sky targets for your telescope. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Listening to black holes colliding
12/01/2026 Duration: 23minTessa Baker discusses newly-discovered cosmic collisions and how they’re helping her unlock the secrets of the Universe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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New Year, new stargazing – January 2026
06/01/2026 Duration: 29minPete Lawrence and Paul Abel reveal the best things to see in the night sky to kick off a new year of stargazing. Happy 2026 everyone! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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3D-mapping an alien world
15/12/2025 Duration: 22minAstronomer Anjali Piette reveals how she and colleagues created a 3D view of a scorching gas giant around a distant star. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Christmas stargazing 2025
28/11/2025 Duration: 26minPete Lawrence and Paul Abel reveal what you should be looking at in the December 2025 night sky, including the best planets, the Geminid meteor shower, Orion and top times to see the Moon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Have scientists solved Webb’s ‘impossible’ black holes?
14/11/2025 Duration: 20minAstronomers say the James Webb Space Telescope has seen black holes at the dawn of time that shouldn't exist. But a new study may be able to explain what's going on. Astronomer Seb Hoenig reveals how a new look at the early Universe could show that JWST has got black holes all wrong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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See the Moon and planets under truly dark skies
31/10/2025 Duration: 31minAs winter gets underway, we’re approaching the darkest time of year. Find out the best times to see the Moon and planets this month, including November’s supermoon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Can a planet have a planet?
14/10/2025 Duration: 18minAstronomer Belinda Damian discusses her research into the giant, free-floating worlds that may one day be able to form their own planetary systems. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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See gas giants Jupiter and Saturn at their best
29/09/2025 Duration: 31minFind out how to see the biggest planets in the Solar System while they’re big and bright, and find out what makes the Harvest Moon so special. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Can YOU help astronomers find exploding stars?
14/09/2025 Duration: 20minAstronomer Tom Killestein reveals how the public can help him on his mission to find stellar explosions via the Kilonova Seekers project, and reveals its first major discovery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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See the blood Moon rise
28/08/2025 Duration: 35minWe reveal how to see the ‘blood Moon’ total lunar eclipse in September 2025, and explain the best dates and times to see the planets of the Solar System in the sky. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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How the Rubin Observatory will study the Universe
14/08/2025 Duration: 26minThe Vera C Rubin Observatory is set to be a game-changer in our understanding of key ideas such as the expansion of the Universe and the distribution of matter in distant galaxies. But how will it do all this? We spoke to astronomer Dani Leonard, who is working with the Rubin Observatory, to find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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See Venus and Jupiter’s close approach
30/07/2025 Duration: 31minThe best things to see in the night sky this month, including Venus and Jupiter’s close approach, Uranus’s meeting with the Pleiades, Saturn and Neptune’s nightly tango and the low-down full Moon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices