There are quite a few podcasts covering space research and astronomy. But most are from overseas, with Northern Hemisphere biases and information. However, ABC Radio sponsors a very good local podcast called StarStuff, by Stuart Gary.
Stuart started a survey to understand the level of knowledge of his audience. I wrote to him suggesting manual responses would cause a lot of compilation work compared to using SurveyMonkey. He agreed but doesn't seem to have gotten to that yet, and there's no link any more for the original survey.
But answering the original was a fun test of knowledge. So here are my answers - just for fun. Test your own knowledge while you are at it. No guarantees on my answers - I haven't checked them.
1…What is the difference between Astronomy and Astrology?
One is science, one is phony.
2…Briefly explain the reasons for your last answer.
Astrology is just like a religion – a fabrication.
3…Are they both sciences?
No
4…Briefly explain the reasons for your last answer.
Scientific method – sciences are proven through repeated testing. Astrology is not and never has been.
5…What causes the seasons on Earth?
Rotation around Sun.
6…Does the Sun always rise exactly due east and set exactly due west?
Only 2 days per year - but even that depends on where you are.
7…How many planets are there in our solar system?
Eight.
8…Name them.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus.
9…Have scientists found evidence of life on Mars?
Possibly...
10…Briefly explain the reasons for your last answer.
Retesting of evidence from the Viking mission has shown that the earlier dismissal of its results may have been in error and that the evidence may have actually shown outputs from chemical reactions that only occur when life is present.
11…Are all planets in our solar system?
No – many exoplanets have been found using the occlusion and wobble methods.
12…Why is one side of the moon called the dark side?
Never seen from Earth due to tidal locking but only dark as often as the other side… Better terms: nearside, farside.
13…What’s the nearest star to the Sun?
Alpha Centauri – 4.3 ly.
14…What’s the difference between the Sun and a star?
Nil
15…Is the Sun solid?
No
16…Are all stars the same?
No
17…Were all stars created at the same time?
No. They weren’t created – they formed.
18…Do stars move in space or do they just appear to move because of Earth’s orbit around the Sun?
Yes, and space expands as well.
19…What is a black hole?
A collapsed star – beyond the collapse of a neutron star to a much higher density such that even photons cannot escape.
20…Did the universe have a beginning?
This current universe? Big bang.
21…Briefly explain the reasons for your last answer.
No-one has a clue what existed prior to then. Expanding universe indicates Big Crunch idea not valid. Could it be cyclical into and through some other dimension like going around the surface of a donut and back into the “hole”? Who knows? But that’s my pet hypothesis…
22…How old is the universe?
14.7By
23…Will the universe have an end?
No – according to current thinking anyway.
24…Briefly explain what will happen.
Galaxies are gradually moving so far away from each other that only the galaxies in local groups (where gravity outweighs expansion) will remain visible to each other. “The Big Dark”?
25…What is the speed of light?
Really freaking fast. Or 3x10^8 m/s – take your pick.
26…Does the speed of light change?
No. And yes.
27…Briefly explain the reasons for your last answer.
Experiments have managed to slow it a little in some mediums. Or a lot inside stars. I wonder if that was relatively speaking though…?
28…What is the difference between mass and weight?
Weight is the effect of mass plus gravity. Mass is the same wherever, even in zero gravity.
29…Do you believe humans have walked on the moon?
Yes
30…Briefly explain the reasons for your last answer.
I watched it in 1969 and have met Armstrong. And have seen photos of the trash they left behind. Bloody vandals those Yanks.
31…Do you believe life may exist elsewhere in the universe?
Yes
32…Do you believe alien life has visited Earth?
Possibly
33…Briefly explain the reasons for your last answer.
On the back of a comet or meteorite. Bacterial form. Or building blocks anyway. Are we all Martians? Maybe. No-one would have believed, that in the last years of the 19th century, across the gulfs of space, minds immeasurably superior to ours…
34…Do you believe governments are keeping secrets about alien life from us?
No
35…Briefly explain the reasons for your last answer.
Seen no reason to believe it to be.
36…Do you believe scientists work independently of governments or do governments dictate the agenda researchers follow?
Mostly independently, but everyone self-censors to a degree. Especially when research grants are on the line…
37…Who was Albert Einstein?
A scientist. With crazy hair who had a really strange idea about to treat women appropriately.
38…What is he famous for?
Being a really really good patent clerk. And some BS maths that forever killed off our hopes of exploring other galaxies and forever ensured the copious sales of Aspirins to physics students the world over. :)
39…Who was Sir Isaac Newton?
Another scientist.
40…What is he famous for?
Getting bonked on the head with an apple. And blaming some made-up force instead of admitting it was his fault for choosing a stupid place for a picnic.
41…Who was Galileo Galilee?
Another scientist.
42…What was he famous for?
Almost – but not quite – squishing someone’s nose with a bowling ball. Oh – and really really pissing off the Catholic Church for making their Earth-centric solar system teachings look amazingly stupid.
43…Why did ancient humans study the stars and how did they benefit from this?
So they could find their way around the place/oceans and understand seasons. And because they didn’t have TV to watch and besides – they could actually see them, as opposed to us who can’t see anything for street lights on steroids.
44…Has humanity’s study of space impacted on your life in any way?
Yes
45…Briefly explain the reasons for your last answer.
Velcro rules! And a whole bunch of other neat stuff NASA and contributing scientists figured out. And I get to blog about all sorts of awesome stuff – like you do (well only kind-of like).
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