Guns in Space and Why Venus is so Hot

https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts125/v4/67/a5/70/67a5707a-1c58-6707-5f83-b45ec8523676/mza_14966309845409305806.jpg/600x600bb.jpg

The Urban Astronomer Podcast

30 episodes

3 weeks ago

The Urban Astronomer podcast is the audio version of the popular Urban Astronomer website, which has been sharing news and information about space science and astronomy since the year 2009. The website has undergone several facelifts, and changes in editorial style and focus over the years, but it's always stayed true to its principles of honest science presented simply, without oversimplifying.
While Urban Astronomer is not the largest or most popular astronomy website on the internet, we've managed to retain a small, loyal following who have stuck with us through both good times (Allen won a special commendation in a science journalism award ceremony), and bad (when output slowed to about one new posting per month, thanks to increased family and work pressure).
This podcast is the next chapter in the Urban Astornomer story, and features News, Science, Interviews, and the occasional rant on the role and perception of science and astronomy in the modern world.
We at Urban Astonomer expect to become one of South Africa's leading science and astronomy podcasts within the year. If we think we deserve that position, you can help us by simply listening the the episodes, and sharing them with your friends. And if we don't meet your standard, we're definitely open to criticism.

Thanks for listening!

All content for The Urban Astronomer Podcast is the property of The Urban Astronomer Podcast and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Guns in Space and Why Venus is so Hot

The Urban Astronomer Podcast

26 minutes 18 seconds

6 years ago

Guns in Space and Why Venus is so Hot

I love these podcast episodes where I get to give you a double dose of science explainy bits! In this episode, the two questions I answer were both asked by people who've previously been featured the Urban Astronomer. Kerneels Mulder wanted to know what happens when a space ship fires a gun backwards. Sibusiso Biyela wanted to know why Venus is so incredibly hot. If you have questions of your own that you'd like me to answer, why not mail them to me at mailto:podcast@urban-astronomer.com

What happens when you fire a gun backwards in space?

1:33

Kerneels Mulder had a friend back in 2013 who was developing a video game which involved space combat. He wanted to get the physics right, so he asked what would happen if a moving spaceship fired its guns backwards. I originally answered this question in an article on this website, but it's such a fun topic that I thought it would be worth revisiting.

Why is Venus so Hot?

15:48

Sibusiso Biyela wants to know why Venus has such a high temperature. The short answer is that it's the greenhouse effect. In fact it was astronomers trying to answer this question back in the 1960's and 70's who first figured out the processes which now have us so worried about climate change. Incidentally, if you think that anthropogenic climate change is some sort of conspiracy cooked up by well-connected liberals who want to make the world a better place for no reason at all, you're gonna hate this segment!

Links

* Interview with Kerneels Mulder* Interview with Sibusiso Biyela* Carl Sagan's 1971 paper, The Trouble with Venus* Original article about what happens when a spaceship fires its guns in space