January 2025 : Cloudy with a Chance of Stars

Episode Audio
Cloudy with a Chance of Stars. In this month’s episode, we have an interview with Eloy de Lera Acedo from back in 2022. Louisa and Barbara talk about the Arecibo Message, imaging stars and flying to space! Bijas chats with James Turner about his work finding pulsars with MeerKAT in our next installment of the Jodbite.
The News
New Year, Old Message?
In 1974, we directed a message out to Messier 13 from the Arecibo Observatory, in Puerto Rico. The system is 25,000 light years away, meaning that we aren’t expecting a reply any time soon as the message propagates across space. The message included:
- A counting scheme of 1 to 10
- The constituent elements and structure of DNA
- A stick figure of a human being (red), our average dimensions (blue/white), and the human population of Earth (white)
- A depiction of the Solar System (yellow)
- A schematic of the Arecibo Observatory
But even though the message has been travelling for 50 year, we don't know any star systems that are in the path of Arecibo’s message - so chance are, no one has heard it yet!
The debate on messaging extraterrestrial life is controversial, since we don’t agree on whether to initiate communication with extraterrestrial life (especially since we don’t know anything about them yet!) But it is worth noting that the Arecibo message is a celebration of Earth’s technology and our ability to send interstellar communication, rather than a genuine attempt to initiate contact. Presently, we continue to develop what a message about humanity should say and who should be involved, including the exploration of art and society and a reflection back on what it means to be part of humanity.
First Images of a Star in a Different Galaxy
Scientists have used the Very Large Telescope to take the first images of a star in a different galaxy. The star, WOH G64, resides in the Large Magellanic Cloud. In order to take these images, scientists used the same technique used to image the black hole at the centre of our galaxy using the Event Horizon Telescope.
The image reveals a star within the late stages of its life. This star resides more than 160,000 light years away and is a Giant Star. We can tell about where the star is in its evolution based on the shells of gas surrounding the star, making the star appear unusual in shape.
The technique used to take this image is called interferometry, where we combine multiple telescopes to achieve a greater sensitivity and probe to a greater depth in the cosmos. Until now, we have been confined to observing stars within the Milky Way and so we hope to observe stellar evolution across increasing distances. Furthermore, we continue to push how far we can look into the universe with current technology.
Space Gal Flies
Blue Origin has been regularly chartering flights up to space; last month, MIT engineer & TV Science Communicator Emily Callandrelli became their latest astronaut (known as The Space Gal on social media). This is brilliant news for women in STEM and will be monumental to inspire others in her footsteps! The space flight lasted less than 10 minutes, but Emily carried a small payload which she hopes to sell and reinvest into charitable endeavours to encourage the next generation of female astronauts.
Interview with Dr Eloy de Lera Acedo
Jonathan Wong and Emma Alexander sit down with Dr. Eloy Delera Acedo, the head of the Radio Cosmology research group at the University of Cambridge. Dr. Acedo, who serves as the Principal Investigator for the REACH telescope, also contributes to groundbreaking projects like the SKA and HERA. In this fascinating discussion, Dr. Acedo shares his team’s quest to uncover signals from hydrogen clouds that once surrounded the universe’s very first stars —the celestial beacons that lit up the cosmos for the very first time.
Jodbite
In this month's Jodbite, Bijas talks to PhD student James Turner all about pulsars. Tune in to learn more about how pulsars are formed, what characteristics they have and how James is using Meerkat to search for them in supernova remnants - whilst finding them in other places!
Extra Interview with Dr Mark Magee
In this interview Fiona asks Dr. Mark Magee from The University of Portsmouth about his work on investigating gravitational lensing using Supernovae and how upcoming projects such as LSST and machine learning can help Astrophysicists learn more about the Physics of these extreme events.
Feedback
Thanks (as ever) for the feedback from our listeners. We asked what you hoped to see from the Jodcast in the New Year:
On Twitter, David Ault says:
‘Great to see the podcast carrying on in safe hands! Of course, there needs to be a panto, doesn’t there…?’
The panto specials of Christmas past are legendary, unfortunately we haven’t gotten around to writing a new one for 2025 - our hands have been full with the podcast reboot. But definitely worth a listen back in the archive to relive ghosts of Jodcast past…
On Facebook, James Walters says:
‘The episodes this year have been very interesting. I hope for more of the same!’
We’re glad you’re enjoying it. Definitely more of the same for 2025!
Martin Bancroft writes:
‘The content is great. Regular Episodes!’
The podcast is run entirely by PhD students here at JBCA, completely voluntary. It’s been a challenge to keep the content released regularly, especially since academia isn’t regular and we find that the team becomes snowed under with their research, teaching here at Manchester as well as attending conferences around the world. It’s no easy feat to run a podcast on the side!
T.K. Arsipe has listened to our December podcast and says:
‘Thank you so much for answering two of my questions! Really fascinating discussions.’
Keep the questions coming for Ask an Astronomer.
Show Credits
News : Barbara Cabrales and Louisa Mason
Interview : Dr Eloy de Lera Acedo, Jonathan Wong and Emma Alexander
Presenters : Barbara Cabrales and Louisa Mason
Editors : Johny Joseph Alphonse, Jessy Marin, Jordan Norris, Jamie Incley and Tobias Russell
Website : Lilia Correa Magnus & George Bendo & Phoebe Ryder
Producer : Lily Correa Magnus and Phoebe Ryder
Cover Art : The REACH hexagonal dipole radio antenna at the Karoo radio reserve, South Africa. CREDIT:The REACH collaboration