Infinite Diversity In Infinite Combinations. In this month’s episode, we have a double interview special as we get the opportunity to talk to Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell about her discovery of pulsars and resilience against the challenges she faced. We also talk to Louise Carvalho, the Diversity & Inclusion Programme Leader at CERN, about how they are challenging the invisible barriers that academia face

Before we get into the news, for those of you close to home here in Manchester, the Jodcast will be part of the Pint of Science in May, hosting a live episode recording as part of the festival. Tickets are on sale now and the details can be found on our socials. Don’t worry if you can't come in person - our next episode will feature the evening's recordings so you can listen to all about the planets, pints and podcasts!

But first, the news...

The News

This month, observations taken by the James Webb Space Telescope have shed some new light on what is thought to be the first observation of a star swallowing one of its orbiting planets. It was initially thought that the star had engulfed the planet by increasing in radius, but information from the mid-infrared instrument (MIRI) and the near-infrared spectrograph (NIRSpec) on board JWST suggests that the planets orbit decreased over time, bringing it closer and closer to the star until they eventually collided.

Attention was brought to this star by the Zwicky Transient Facility. They initially spotted a brightening event as a flash of optical light and later classed as a subluminous red nova, and the star was thought to be Sun-like and in the process of transitioning to a red giant, expanding as it burnt through its hydrogen fuel. However the spectra taken by JWST show the star’s luminosity to be consistent with a K-type star that should not yet be evolving off the main sequence, so it is believed the planetary engulfment was due to orbital decay, most likely due to tidal interactions between the planet and the star. (Lau et al 2025)

Outside of recently-published science results, one of the biggest astronomy- and space-related stories in the past month has been the proposed NASA budget cuts, with a cut of $5 billion from NASA’s current budget of $25 billion, but those budget cuts would not be distributed evenly. Most of the cuts primarily target the Science Mission Directorate, or, in other words, the funding used for science including the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which is a near-infrared space telescope that is fully assembled and ready to launch in a couple of years; the Mars Sample Return mission, which would return samples from the surface of Mars; and the DAVINCI mission, which would not only return an orbiter to Venus but also, for the first time in decades, drop a probe into the Venusian atmosphere. The budget cuts also appear to have the intent of closing the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, which employs over 10000 people and which is responsible for building the spacecraft involved in many of these space missions.

Aside from this, the cuts would have more general effects on the various branches of astronomy, solar physics, planetary science, and Earth science supported by NASA. The two positive things that can be said about this proposal are, first, that the Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope will continue to be funded and therefore will still be able to operate and, second, that this is just a draft proposal that could be rewritten later. Still, these cuts to just NASA by itself represent a major threat to science overall within the United States.

Interview with Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell

During her visit to the department (coinciding with 80 years of radio astronomy at Jodrell Bank), Jessy and Louisa hear from Joceyln about her groundbreaking discovery of pulsars, the challenges of tackling stigma and sexism, and her work continuing to champion equality in academia.

Interview with Louise Carvalho

In this interview, we talk to Louise Carvalho about her work in fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce at CERN and raising awareness for the invisible barriers we may face in academia. A lawyer by profession, her talk provided everyone at the JBCA with new insights into diversity and inclusion, and Louisa and Jessy chatted to her more on this.

Feedback

TK Arispe on Facebook says,

‘Sounds like a super fun episode--I'm excited to give it a listen! <\p>

As for suggestions for the 20th anniversary - I'd love if you guys could get some Jodcast alumni back on the show for interviews and maybe a round-table discussion of fond Jodcast memories. I really appreciate everyone's contributions through the years and it would be fun to hear some old familiar voices again.’

Keep your Jodcast anniversary suggestions coming, we'll be planning something special soon!

Interview : Louise Carvalho and Jessy and Louisa
Presenters : George Bendo and Phoebe Ryder
Editors : Jamie Incley, Louisa Mason, Jessy Marin and Jordan Norris
Segment Voice : Lily Correa Magnus and Tobias Russell
Website : Lilia Correa Magnus, Tobias Russell and George Bendo
Producer : Tobias Russell
Cover Art : Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Louisa Mason and Jessy Marin in the Jodcast studio. CREDIT : Philip Black.