#26 - August 2014

The Discussion: Enjoying the delights of July’s skies, writing
articles for Astronomy magazine, STEM education and Paul becomes
a European Space Agency ambassador.


The News: In the news we have the Rosetta spacecraft’s approach
to the almost unpronounceable comet Churyumov Gerasimenko –
revealed to be a binary comet, and the Very Large Telscope in
Chile takes a 2.5 year study of a supernova to crack the riddle
of how dust is created and survives the extreme temperatures of
its birth.


The 5 Minute Concept: In this month’s 5MC, Paul looks at the
summer phenomenon of noctilucent clouds and asks ‘why is there no
record of them before 1885’?


The Interview: We welcome back the General Secretary of the
International Astronomical Union, Professor Thierry Montmerle to
tells us about the International Year of Light, the IAU’s new
look communications strategy and their new project to allow the
public to name exoplanets and their host stars.


Q&A: Listeners’ questions via email, Facebook & Twitter
take us on a journey into the astronomy issues that have always
plagued our understanding or stretched our credulity. This month
Ralph & Paul answer:


Oolaaa Martian overlords. Where in your opinions does the
solar system truly end. Thanks, your faithful servant Lee? Lee
Garner from Norwich, UK.

What’s a Vampire Star? @TweetsByLou via Twitter



And we finish with the winners of last month’s competition to win
three DVD copies of the new film Gagarin – First in Space, and a
copy of the book Yuri Gagarin – The First Spaceman.