• MP3 - the whole show
  [Duration 61:35, 21.2 MB]
• MP3 - The news - June 2007
  [Duration 06:07, 2.1 MB]
• MP3 - Notícias em Português - Junho 2007
  [Duration 07:19, 2.5 MB]
• MP3 - Nouvelles en Français - Juin 2007
  [Duration 05:59, 2.1 MB]
• MP3 - The News in Chinese - June 2007
  [Duration 06:01, 2.1 MB]
• MP3 - اخبار به فارسى
  [Duration 05:19, 1.8 MB]
• MP3 - Interview with Prof Jocelyn Bell-Burnell
  [Duration 34:35, 11.9 MB]
• MP3 - The night sky for June 2007
  [Duration 11:37, 4.0 MB]

Talk Astronomy

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June 2007

Tick, tick, tick. Forty years on from the first observations of pulsating neutron stars we talk to the discoverer of pulsars, Jocelyn Bell-Burnell. She tells us about her PhD and how an "annoying bit of scruff" turned into a fascinating area of research. We also hear about the Jodrell Bank First Move Literary Festival happening in June. As always, we have the latest news with Megan and Ian tells us what we can see in the night sky from the northern hemisphere.

• June 2007 MP3: Download the whole show (low and high bandwidth versions)
• First Move Literary Festival 15-17 June
• Other events at the Jodrell Bank Visitor Centre
• Fly your poem to the Moon: poetry competition run by The Times

The news - June 2007

In the news this month: a new class of supernova is discovered, there is evidence that Mercury has a molten core, a fossil star is found in the Milky Way and a new class of stellar explosion may have been found.

• The news - June 2007 MP3: Download this segment individually (low and high bandwidth versions)
• Chandra press release about the brightest supernova ever seen - SN2006gy
• Mercury's Core Molten, Radar Study Shows

Notícias em Português - Junho 2007

Novo tipo de Supernova descoberto. Evidência que Mercúrio tem um núcleo derretido. Estrela descuberta com idade similhante ao do universo. Nova classe de explosão descoberto.

• Notícias em Português - Junho 2007 MP3: Download this segment individually (low and high bandwidth versions)

Nouvelles en Français - Juin 2007

• Nouvelles en Français - Juin 2007 MP3: Download this segment individually (low and high bandwidth versions)

The News in Chinese - June 2007

• The News in Chinese - June 2007 MP3: Download this segment individually (low and high bandwidth versions)

اخبار به فارسى

• اخبار به فارسى MP3: Download this segment individually (low and high bandwidth versions)

Interview with Prof Jocelyn Bell-Burnell

Nick and Stuart talked to Jocelyn Bell-Burnell about her PhD and her discovery of pulsating neutron stars - pulsars. It started with a curious repeating signal showing up on her chart recorder while she was trying to make measurements of quasars. What followed was some classic detective work to track down the cause of the "bit of scruff". After eliminating man-made interference, briefly entertaining the possibility of extraterrestrial intelligence and problems with the equipment, she and Tony Hewish eventually worked out that they were observing a neutron star.

• Interview with Prof Jocelyn Bell-Burnell MP3: Download this segment individually (low and high bandwidth versions)
• University Cambridge website about the original discovery in 1967
• An Introduction to Pulsars from the Australia Telescope National Facility
• Imagine the Universe: What is a pulsar?
• The sounds of pulsars
• MP3: Interview with Michael Kramer about the double pulsar (January 2006).

The night sky for June 2007

Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the night sky from northern latitudes during June 2007. High in the sky around midnight is the constellation of Virgo. Between Virgo and the tail of Leo is the centre of our local supercluster of galaxies and this region of sky is named the "realm of the galaxies". We are now coming up to the constellations Libra, Ophiuchus, Scorpius and Sagittarius. The red star Antares, in Scorpius, is difficult to see from the UK as it is a bit too far south. The star fields around Scorpius and Sagittarius - towards the centre of our galaxy - are some of the richest in the sky and can be very rewarding to see with binoculars. High above, in the constellation of Hercules, is the globular cluster M13 which contains a million or so stars and looks very nice through a small telescope. Rising in the south-east is Cygnus, Lyra and Aquila. The three bright stars Deneb, Vega, Altair make up the summer triangle. In this region you can also see the Coathanger (Brocchi's Cluster). High overhead is Ursa Major (the Great Bear). Venus is still very high in the sky after sunset and there will be a conjunction with the Moon around 18th June. On 9th June, Venus reaches its greatest elongation. Saturn can be seen just after sunset for the first few weeks of June. On 5th and 6th June, Jupiter is at opposition (on the other side of the Earth to the Sun) but is not rising very high in the sky so is difficult to see from northern latitudes. Mercury is visible in the western sky after sunset between the Sun and Venus. It will be furthest in angle from the Sun on June 2nd. Mars is visible just before sunrise but is very low in the south-east. The Moon will be new on June 15th.

• The night sky for June 2007 MP3: Download this segment individually (low and high bandwidth versions)
• Ian Morison's Night Sky pages for June 2007
• Observing Brocchi's Cluster

Show Credits