#127 - January 2023

The Discussion:


A refreshed format coming to Awesome Astronomy in 2023

A look back at the festive season



 


 


The News:


Rounding up the astronomy news in November, we have:


Something in the solar system is producing light that’s not
unaccounted for

A leak on the International Space Station’s lifeboat

NASA’s Mars lander comes to an end

A new way to look for aliens



 


The big news story: As the UK gets ready to launch space vehicles
for the first time, we take a look at the long history of UK
space activity and the concept of launching to space from
aircraft.


 


The Sky Guide:


As many people will have got new observing equipment this
Christmas,  we’re taking a look at the beginner-friendly
constellation of Taurus with a guide to its history, how to find
it, a few deep sky objects to seek out and a round-up of the
solar system views on offer in January.


 


Q&A:


The brightest GRB ever recorded occurred on 9th October 2022. Its
effects on the Earth’s ionosphere was strong enough to be
observed by amateur radio astronomers. How did dust form the
expanding halo observed around the GRB source? From our good
friend Andrew Thomas.