Cosmic Vertigo

I'm pleased to announce the LAUNCH of my new space podcast, Cosmic Vertigo, made with co-host Alan Duffy and our amazing producer Joel Werner.

"Do you ever feel dizzy when you think about the incomprehensible scale of space? We call that feeling Cosmic Vertigo. Welcome to a head-spinning conversation between two friends who study the sky for a living."

Rest state: Alan and I cracking up (Photo: ABC/Radio National)

The three of us had a lot of fun creating this series, and I'm in awe of Joel's editing and production genius.

Dream Team: Alan Duffy, Joel Werner, and yours truly (Photo: ABC/Radio National)

The first two episodes are now LIVE with a new one released every two weeks.... so GO LISTEN and COMMENT and SUBSCRIBE wherever you get your podcasts!

All 5 bright planets up in the morning sky!

all of you early risers may have noticed the lovely line of bright planets across the sky in the morning hours before sunrise lately.  definitely get out and have a look between jan 20th and feb 20th for a spectacular view, no matter where on earth you live!

you'll need to be able to see low on the horizon to spot mercury until early february or so, but you can do it if you have an unobstructed view!

this alignment of the planets has not occurred for over ten years. it's rare because all the planets have to be on the same side of the sun in their orbits.  while venus, mars, jupiter, and saturn have been in the morning sky all year, mercury is just getting ready to transition from being visible in our evening sky to being visible in the morning sky.  hopefully the visualisation below makes that clear.

via The Conversation

so... get out early and LOOK UP! 

Journey to the edge of a forming galaxy

in early july i spent two weeks as "scientist in residence" at the ABC as a result of the Top 5 Under 40 award.  the main project i worked on was producing a science ninja adventure story that went live on the science show on radio national yesterday afternoon!

LISTEN HERE:
journey to the edge of a forming galaxy (website)
journey to the edge of a forming galaxy (mp3)

Artwork by Mischa Andrews from photo by Jenny Gabache and galaxy image by David Malin

long time readers may remember the seeds of this story from a blog post in 2010. you never know what direction random inspiration will go!

transforming the written story into something radio-ready was an interesting challenge.  phrases that look lovely on the page do not sound smooth or conversational when spoken out loud.  i wrote many versions of the story (in less than 2 days) before settling into one that i could read out loud comfortably.

Artwork by Glen Nagle

once the story was ready, i had the amazing luck of booking an entire afternoon in the studio with award-winning sound engineer Russell Stapleton.  i had shared an early draft of the story with him and he came prepared with directories of "space and ninja" sounds that he had been working with for the last 20 years!  he really made the story come alive and it was fascinating to watch him work. such a unique experience to work with him to create the depth of sound you hear throughout the story.


the science show producer asked me for some unique artwork to display with the story on the webpage, since a regular galaxy image would be a bit boring.  i was busy at a workshop during the couple days i had to produce the image, so i asked twitter for volunteers to help.  they certainly came through - the images are displayed through this post.  thanks so much to Mischa Andrews and Glen Nagle!

Put together by Glen Nagle from photo by Jenny Gabache and galaxy image by David Malin

Hope you enjoy the adventure!

2015 David Malin Award Winners

Here is the first batch of winning astrophotos from the annual David Malin Awards contest.  These are absolutely stunning captures from non-professional astronomers around australia!

Overall Winner: "Stellar Riches" by Troy Casswell

Deep sky winner: "The Fighting Dragons of Ara" by Andrew Campbell

Nightscape winner: "Aurora Treescape" by James Garlick

Solar system winner: "Solar Crown" by Peter Ward

total solar eclipse - svalbard

did you see the total solar eclipse on march 20th, 2015?

my friend geoff sims was up to capture him consistently amazing photos of the events from Svalbard.

and one from 35,000 feet, collaboration with Glenn Schneider.

i'd like to see a thorough movie of his experiences and eclipse photos.  here's a preview of that possibility.  support their kickstarter if you want to see it to!



i missed it unfortunately, but i absolutely have plans to be in the US on August 21st, 2017 ;)

timelapse of the sun

An AMAZING timelapse video of our Sun, our star, made of 5 years worth of high resolution images from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. Wow!

classic astronomy question

i did a live radio show tonight, welcoming callers to ask any space-related question they wanted. the first caller was an 8 year old girl who asked "are stars made of gas?" (yes.) then she said her brother was with her and wanted to ask a question and was that ok? (sure.) the brother grabbed the phone, took an audible breath, and TOTALLY snuck in "how big is uranus?" LIVE ON AIR! haha! props, kid!


what would your answer have been?

Australian Astronomical Observatory on YouTube!

i've been working to launch an AAO YouTube channel and guess what - it finally happened!  our first instalment is a new time-lapse video from AAO's Angel Lopez-Sanchez filmed at siding spring observatory.

please enjoy "the sky over siding spring observatory" and subscribe to the AAO's YouTube channel to keep up to date with the video releases i'll be posting once a month or so.  topics to be covered include: what is a spectrum, a short documentary about observing, how we re-aluminize the 4-meter telescope mirror, the construction of a new $18 million dollar instrument, and possibly a ukulele rock video ;)  stay tuned!

a birthday month of yoga

one of my closest friends lives in ohio, USA.  it is not ideal for a close friendship, but we make it work.  last year we started a tradition to each do yoga for at least 20 minutes a day for all the days between our birthdays (hers on april 28th, mine today, may 26th).  

a month of yoga days.

laurasykora on instagram

it is possibly my favourite new tradition.

Acro Yoga (credit: yoga beyond) 

we mark our progress for each day online, and feel more connected, even though we still sleep at opposite times of the day and i live 15 hours in the future.  

laurasykora on instagram

we chat more regularly during the birthday yoga month to share our individual yoga practices. we seem to feel accountable to share the occurrences of a day that managed to prevent a mere 20 minutes dedicated to relaxation and simple breath.

laurasykora on instagram

the best part about the month is that after so many days of steady strengthening, increasing flexibility and balance, the final practice on my birthday is the best of the entire month!   it's amazing how much more deeply i can relax into increasingly crazy poses as the month progresses!

yoga beyond on instagram

i cant do most of these crazy poses that laurasykora or the Yoga Beyond team show on instagram, but by the end of the month, i can actually get me heels down from the beginning of the practice instead of only at the end when i'm fully warmed up and relaxed.

Acro Yoga with yoga beyond

its hard to feel anything but good about getting older when my body has enjoyed such a meditative month of strengthening and accomplishment.

thanks, sara! i'm so happy and proud that we participated in another successful birthday yoga month! and i'm amazed that you can fit it in with your career and family.  your dedication motivates me!

cake philosophy

via calm blue oceans.

total lunar eclipse: 15 april 2014

a total lunar eclipse will occur tomorrow!  will it be visible to you?   check this site to find out.

the eclipse is visible from the red regions (credit: timeanddate.com)

for those on the east coast of australia, the moon will peak above the eastern horizon around 5:30 pm fully immersed in the earth's shadow.   it will be glowing red instead of the bright white of the normal full moon.  the full eclipse will last for about an hour as the moon rise continues on the eastern horizon and the sun sets in the west.

also, dont miss a very bright mars very close to the eclipsed moon.   such an astronomical treat!

the eastern horizon from sydney at 6:30 pm 15 april 2014 (credit: ian musgrave)

looking forward to the views!

what is the sun?

last year i was invited to be a consultant for a group of digital media design students at swinburne university in melbourne, who were tasked with making an animated astronomy video to answer a question asked by a student in africa.  the student asked "what is the sun?"

after seeing a first draft, i spent a few hours giving some suggestions, and the video below is the result of their hard work.   i think it's fantastic, although i must point out that i'm fairly sure my voice is a bit different than the one my character in the video possesses ;)


"Created by Christ Thompson, Kenneth Waples and Leigh Bennet, Jimmy and the Sun is a tale of a young inquisitive lad who has some big questions about science.  Jimmy has always wondered how and why, when and where, and with the help of super hero Astrophysicist Dr Amanda Bauer, is learning some of the biggest mysteries in the galaxy."


The Adventures of Jimmy from scienceqanda on Vimeo.

have a great day being a scientist!

i have visited a few classrooms of 7-10 year old students this holiday season to talk about the solar system and what it's like being a scientist.  so many fantastic things happened during and since those visits that i think i will post several stories about them.

a little of the crazy eye, but look at all the enthusiastically raised hands! (Photo Credit: Jeff Shaefer)

i'm constantly impressed by the eagerness of the kids to answer questions, ask questions, and share stories.  they want to tell me how something in their life relates to something i've said about the universe.   and they're so sharp!

the 8 year olds are still sympathetic towards pluto not being a planet any more, despite the fact that it was reclassified to "dwarf planet" status before they were born!   it shows how strongly families and society influence what these kids know and how they behave.

Talking with my hands again.  (Photo Credit: Jeff Shaefer)

the 10 year old classes listened to the solar system news with interest, felt satisfied learning why pluto isnt a planet anymore, and then got really excited about the existence of planets around stars other than our sun!  then they asked questions about dark matter and black holes and the expanding universe!?!  certainly keeping me on my toes!  :)

some of my favourite questions are about planetary moons.  one that i do not have a good answer for is "why is ours just called "the moon" when all the other moons in the solar system have interesting names like mimas or titan?"  i mentioned that ours has a name in different languages, Luna, for example but in english it just received the definite article distinction (no, i didnt actually say the "definite article" bit).

the students also loved the idea that one of saturn's moons, mimas, looks like the death star from star wars!

Death star moon! (Photo Credit: Jeff Shaefer)

i felt a bit like a rock star after the talk as kids swarmed me with more questions and stories.   the girl in this photo is looking a bit skeptical, which means i've either done my job right or she's just annoyed that it's not her turn to ask a question yet!

Endless questions and stories :)  (Photo Credit: Jeff Shaefer)

the wonderful teachers from each class i talked to had students write thank you letters and draw pictures for me.  i have read over these adorable stacks of letters so many times since receiving them.  absolutely the best present i received this year!    here are a few favorites :)

eggnog and cookies

hope everyone had a nice solstice and relishes in some pleasant down time with friends and family for a few days during the holiday season.   i'm enjoying games and laughs, memories and food, and cold fun in the snow with my family in the US.

here is a multiwavelength sun for you to enjoy.

and greetings from the hubble team :)

8 seconds in ethiopia

fellow astronomer and sydneysider, geoff sims, ventured to southern ethiopia for the total solar eclipse last month.  as you know, i'm a big fan of total solar eclipses, which i feel are the most amazing astronomical phenomena you can see from earth.

unfortunately, the clouds did not part over geoff during the eclipse, but he still captured some incredible footage of ethiopia and the clouds as they went through their 8 seconds of eclipsed darkness.  

8 seconds in Ethiopia from Geoff Sims on Vimeo.

wild weather

i know, a post about weather?  but seriously, the greater sydney area has been providing some crazy events in recent months.

the bush fires have started well before the normal fire hazard season usually becomes worrisome.  recall the fires that swept through siding spring observatory in january (the middle of summer).   but this spring, the big fires started west of sydney!

on the day the big fires began, i could see this huge red smoke cloud moving quickly east over the city.

surreal smoke cloud over sydney

i checked the radar and those thin diagonal features are not storm clouds, they are smoke clouds being blown right over central sydney!

the thickest smoke cloud kept flowing east and this formation flew past near the edge.

the resulting sunset that night was as spectacular as it was eerie.  i have not digitally manipulated any of these photos!

pink and purple sunset through bushfire smoke clouds

a few days later, the fires were still burning in the west and we woke up every morning to air that smelled like fire smoke and a hazy sky.   the sun reflect a striking red off the waters near manly beach.

red sun through bushfire smoke

the fires raged for a couple weeks, destroying hundreds of homes along the path.   then almost two weeks ago, rains have covered the area.   over the past week and a half, the rains have fallen powerfully, causing water damage and flooding and bringing strong winds.   in fact, this week, water spouts were spotted off the new south wales coast.  water spouts, australia?!?!

Water Spouts near Port Macquarie (Photo Credit: link)

this is not normal weather, y'all.

the day the earth smiled

these images from the cassini space craft are just amazing.  many images taken in july this year were combined to create these fantastic panoramas.

the image below shows where planets and moons of saturn are located.

to understand all the details in this image, i share this video of emily lakdawalla describing all the fascinating subtleties.  very much worth the 10 minutes of your time.  enjoy!

this is our sun, our star.

this is our sun, our star.   this is what it does.



over 5 days last week, our sun spun and spewed out coronal mass ejections (no, this is not a dirty space news post!), sending waves of solar particles out into space, through our solar system.  the video was produced by NASA Goddard and shows solar flares and coronal mass ejections from Oct 23-28th.  the images were taken by NASA's solar dynamics observatory and the ESA/NASA solar and heliospheric observatory.

i particularly like how at 1:45 they show just how far out the solar particles are flung - notice the tiny little sun in the centre for scale!

comet ISON

when discovered late in 2012, many sources pointed out the potential for comet c/2012 s1 (ISON) to be incredibly bright after it passes around the sun and near the earth late this year!

so far, ISON has not disappointed several photographers around the world!

Comet ISON 27 Oct 2013 (Credit: Damian Peach)

Comet ISON 26 Oct 2013 (Credit: Mike Broussard)

when will we be able to see comet ISON with our eyes alone?  it will be visible from the southern hemisphere throughout november, but close to the eastern horizon.  here is an illustration from nick lomb showing visibility from sydney, australia.

Comet ISON and Mars as viewed from Sydney, Australia.  
ISON 1 shows the position of the comet on 1st November 2013
(Credit: Nick Lomb)

the mystery of comet ISON is that we cannot predict exactly how bright it will get because it may be hugely disrupted or even destroyed when it passes around the sun on 28th november.

this video from NASA gives an idea of just how close to the sun comet ISON will pass!  all comets have such elongated orbits, where they zoom in very close to the sun and then shoot way out to the farthest reaches of the solar system.



we'll just have to wait and see what happens to comet ISON when it grazes past the sun.  

a history of the sky

this is a really great idea by ken murphy - shoot the sky everyday for a year, the sky above san francisco, and then put together a single, short video to demonstrate the patterns of clouds and weather moving through the sky.  more blue sky than i was expecting, to be honest.

A History of the Sky from Ken Murphy on Vimeo.