Episodes

  • Object 1: Not the Pope

    Object 1: Not the Pope
    Aug 12 2019
    The Leo IV Dwarf Galaxy is one of several ultra faint dwarf galaxies that orbit the Milky Way. Galaxies like this are weird relics of when the universe first formed; they contain very old stellar populations and abnormally large amounts of dark matter.
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    9 mins
  • Object 2: Variable Variability

    Object 2: Variable Variability
    Aug 26 2019
    HS Hydrae is a variable eclipsing binary star, which sounds more unusual than it actually is. However, it's precessing, which is not only unusual but also causes the variability to vary over time.
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    9 mins
  • Object 3: Room Temperature

    Object 3: Room Temperature
    Sep 9 2019
    HD 85512 is a nearby star slightly smaller and more orange than the Sun. It happens to have an exoplanet that could be close to Earth-like.
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    8 mins
  • Object 4: A Damp Lyman Alpha Elephant

    Object 4: A Damp Lyman Alpha Elephant
    Sep 23 2019
    The most interesting thing about the quasar LBSQ 0058+0155 is not the quasar itself but the galaxy between the quasar and Earth.
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    14 mins
  • Object 5: Some Unexpected Helium

    Object 5: Some Unexpected Helium
    Oct 7 2019
    RV Octantis would be considered a run-of-the-mill RR Lyrae variable star if it wasn't for the unexpected discovery of helium in its atmosphere.
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    11 mins
  • Object 6: Extra Peculiar

    Object 6: Extra Peculiar
    Oct 21 2019
    HD 98851 is both an Am chemically peculiar star and a delta Scuti variable star, and it has two different pulsation cycles, which makes it really peculiar.
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    8 mins
  • Object 7: Circles within Circles

    Object 7: Circles within Circles
    Nov 4 2019
    30 Ari contains four stars and an exoplanet all arranged in a rather complex set of nested orbits.
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    11 mins
  • Object 8: A Misbehaving LIRG

    Object 8: A Misbehaving LIRG
    Nov 18 2019
    II Zw 96 is a luminous infrared galaxy (LIRG) where most of the infrared emission comes from some type of off-center region, which is weird compared to most other LIRGs.
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    11 mins