AWESOME ASTRONOMY – Episode 171: "Gravitational Musing and Nuclear Cruising"

Release Date: April 1, 2026
Hosts: Dr. Jeni & Paul

Overview:

In this energizing episode, Dr. Jeni and Paul dive into the wonders and current tides of space exploration, discuss transformative innovations in space propulsion, unpack the latest cosmic discoveries, share news both exhilarating and dispiriting from the world of astronomy, and wrap up with their famed sky guide to April’s celestial highlights. Expect laughs, sincere laments about science funding, and a tangible sense of cosmic awe.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Updates, Bath Astronomers' Anniversary, & Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell

[01:47 – 04:37]

• Jeni shares her norovirus misadventures returning from a cruise but balances it with enthusiasm after being invited to Bath Astronomers' 50th anniversary.
  • “They held the event right to the day of when Bath Astronomers started 50 years ago…they trawled through loads of newspapers and they found an advertisement for the first meeting. How amazing is that?” (Jeni, 02:37)
• Special mention of Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell as keynote, praised for her energy and talk on women in astronomy.
  • “She's like 82 or something. She’s so sprightly.” (Jeni, 03:19)
• The hosts reflect on longevity, staying mentally sharp, and keeping active.

2. Personal Observing: Four Nights of UK Astronomy

[04:41 – 06:57]

• Paul details a rare spell of “gorgeous” UK weather allowing four nights of observing — a personal annual record.
• He shares the joy of watching a GRS (Great Red Spot) transit across Jupiter and notes the fun of observing galaxy groups in Leo.
  • “Saturday was just the most stunning… It's almost like it was looking through a vacuum. It was just incredible.” (Paul, 05:27)

3. Project Hail Mary – The Film

[07:25 – 08:05]

• Dr. Jeni recommends the film adaptation of Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary, promising an emotional and humorous cinema experience.
  • “No spoilers. But yeah, go and see it. It is worth the cinema ticket price.” (Jeni, 07:52)

Main Astronomy News & Deep Dives

4. NASA’s Game-Changing Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) Announcement

[09:03 – 22:06]

• Jeni breaks down NASA’s ambitious move into fission-based Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) for deep space, which offers significantly more power than traditional RTGs.
  • “The new nuclear powered spacecraft…there is enough generated power for your propulsion as well. And this is the key difference.” (Jeni, 10:01)
• Technical primer on how NEP and ion thrusters work—including why they’re game changers for distant solar system missions like Uranus.
  • "You fire electrons at xenon gas and that knocks electrons off...you get xenon ions...you fire them out of a nozzle and there is your thrust." (Jeni, 17:15)
• Introduction of the upcoming mission SR1 Freedom (2028), utilizing repurposed Lunar Gateway fission tech, and its Mars fly-by with “Skyfall”—a helicopter scout module for future Mars landings.
  • “Can I ask the American audience, why do you name everything Freedom? There are other names.” (Paul, 18:05)
  • On ‘Skyfall’ Mars helicopter plan: “They’re gonna have cameras, interestingly, apparently ground penetrating radar. Now radar is really heavy, so I’m not sure how that’s going to work.” (Jeni, 19:32)

5. Stochastic Sirens: Gravitational Waves & the Hubble Tension

[22:06 – 26:37]

• Paul outlines the long-standing mismatch in measured expansion rates of the universe—a.k.a. the “Hubble Tension” and introduces a new measurement method: stochastic sirens.
  • “They’re listening to the hum of the entire universe. That is poetic.” (Paul & Jeni, 24:02)
• Explains how future, more sensitive gravitational wave detectors could help resolve the Hubble Tension using the gravitational wave background.
  • “Brave new world here.” (Paul, 23:35)
• “Exciting times, people. A third contender in the whole tension debate.” (Paul, 26:31)

6. Giant Planets Forming in Unusual Places (ESO Wisp-2 System Discovery)

[26:39 – 28:40]

• Jeni shares that two massive gas giants were directly imaged forming far from their star in the Wisp-2 system—one at twice Neptune's distance from our Sun.
  • “It’s unusual for us to find these massive giant like gas planets really far out from this star…” (Jeni, 28:29)
• A nice story on protoplanetary disks and challenges existing formation models.

7. British Physics Funding Crisis — A Blow to Fundamental Science

[28:40 – 35:31]

• Paul offers a sobering run-down of UK science funding cuts:
  • Withdrawal from Large Hadron Collider upgrades (“the UK’s historical leadership…most notably the Higgs boson discovery” [Paul, 29:07])
  • Cancellations: Electron Ion Collider partnership, RUDI, CMAS National Mass Spec Centre, and slashed physics grants.
  • Potential future withdrawals: the ELT, solar weather instruments, Square Kilometer Array, and even gravitational wave research hubs.
• The government’s shift to “applied research” and its implications:
  • “What normal people call just engineering. That's not science.” (Paul, 32:18)
• Laments from UK scientists and dire warnings from figures like Professor Brian Cox and the Royal Astronomical Society.
  • “This government does not understand science. No, they don't understand it, they don't get it. They have no scientific background or leaning or interest unless it has a direct impact on their politics.” (Paul, 34:29)
  • “If you're doing your PhD or you're in your early postdocs, this must be terrifying.” (Jeni, 33:48)

8. Hubble’s Living Legacy & New Observations of the Crab Nebula

[35:31 – 39:52]

• Jeni celebrates Hubble’s recent re-imaging of the Crab Nebula—the first time the expansion rate and structural changes are plainly visible in a “queen of all gifs”.
  • “Over 25 years...it's been expanding at a pace of, get this, 5.5 million kilometers per hour.” (Jeni, 36:49)
  • “This is why it's important to have long-term instruments and long-term investment, UK government, because you get to see these things...” (Paul, 37:22)
• Details revelations about gas filament movement, 3D structures, and the nebula’s evolving interaction with its central pulsar.

9. Hubble Reboost Rumors Confirmed

[39:52 – 40:34]

• NASA confirms it will attempt a reboost mission on Hubble (pending a successful Swift X-Ray Observatory test), extending Hubble’s operating life.
  • “A Hubble reboost is seriously on the cards...Hubble’s orbit has degraded more than anticipated because we had a particularly dramatic solar cycle.” (Jeni, 40:01)

April 2026 Sky Guide

10. Crab Nebula Viewing

[40:34 – 42:30]

• Step-by-step guide to finding the Crab Nebula in Taurus using the Hyades cluster, Pleiades, and Zeta Tauri.
  • “You can see it with a small telescope, decent pair of binoculars…the bigger your telescope, the more details you will see.” (Jeni, 41:18)

11. The Lyrids Meteor Shower

[42:30 – 43:23]

• Peaks around April 22nd; bright meteors up to 20/hour, left over from Comet Thatcher; crescent Moon ensures good visibility.

12. Planetary & Lunar Conjunctions

[43:23 – 43:51]

• April is full of bright conjunctions:
  • April 2: Moon & Spica (Virgo)
  • April 23: Moon & Jupiter with Castor and Pollux (Gemini)
  • April 26: Moon and Regulus (Leo)—occultation visible in some regions

13. Venus, Uranus, & the Pleiades Gathering

[43:35 – 43:50]

• April 23: Venus and Uranus get close, with the Pleiades nearby for a lovely after-sunset scene.

14. The Possible Bright Comet (C/2026 A1 maps)

[43:50 – 44:57]

• New comet may pass close to the Sun around April 4. If it survives, could be daylight visible; best viewing from April 8.
  • “If it survives its close encounter with the sun…it could be visible in daylight.” (Jeni, 44:08)
  • “If it's bright, you'll see it.” (Paul, 44:57)

15. Deep Sky: Leo’s M96/M105 Group

[45:04 – 48:49]

• Paul shares observing notes on the overlooked Leo I galaxy group (“the sophisticated raw indie band”)—instructions for locating M95, M96, M105, and others.
  • “Unlike the Leo triplet… the M96 group is more spread out. So you usually observe them in two distinct subgroups.” (Paul, 46:27)
  • Fun galaxy nicknames: “the TIE fighter” for M95.

16. Moon Watch – Albedo Features at Full Moon

[48:52 – 53:04]

• After day 13, use a polarized filter for best comfort and contrast when observing a nearly/full Moon.
  • Details on features like Aristarchus (brightest spot), ray systems from Tycho & Copernicus, Maria color variations, and subtle crater shadows.
  • “Day 14 is of course Full Moon…Actually the worst time to look at the Moon. Normally it's bright, looks washed out, and the features are shadowless and flat. But it's still worth a peek.” (Paul, 51:20)

17. Community & Closing

[53:31 – end]

• Astro Camp Reminder: Live recording planned; invitations open for listeners to join the team and guest speakers.
• Contact & Feedback: Encouraged to email, tweet, or Facebook-message the show.
  • “Send us your thoughts, your queries, your questions, your ideas, your pictures. All of them are more than welcome.” (Jeni, 54:13)
• Next episode will focus on listener emails, feedback, and more in-depth discussion.

Notable Quotes

• On staying sharp and active:
  “It's all about sharp minds, keeping active, isn't it? Doing the stuff. Doing the stuff. Absolutely.” (Paul, 04:04)

• On the urgency for new propulsion:
  “This is where it's a game changer…The new ones, these new nuclear powered spacecraft, the idea is that there is enough power generated for your propulsion as well.” (Jeni, 10:01)

• On UK science cuts:
  “This government does not understand science. No, they don't understand it, they don't get it.” (Paul, 34:29)

• On Hubble's Crab Nebula images:
  “Over 25 years...it's been expanding at a pace of, get this, 5.5 million kilometers per hour.” (Jeni, 36:49)

Episode Highlights (Timestamps)

• [09:03] — NASA’s fission-powered deep space propulsion plans
• [17:15] — How ion thrusters work
• [22:06] — Stochastic sirens & the Hubble Tension
• [28:40] — Detailed segment on UK science funding crisis
• [36:49] — Hubble’s Crab Nebula findings
• [40:01] — Hubble reboost mission update
• [41:18] — How to find the Crab Nebula
• [43:51] — The comet C/2026 A1 maps outlook

Tone & Style

The episode brims with the hosts' signature blend of warmth, wit, awe, and occasional tongue-in-cheek banter. Technical explanations are vivid but accessible, and the show doesn't shy from calling out political frustrations with passion and clarity.

Perfect For:

• Serious sky-watchers and backyard beginners alike
• Anyone curious about new tech in space exploration
• Listeners tracking astronomy policy/funding issues
• Astronomers looking for observing targets or celestial events in April 2026

Additional Resources

• Awesome Astronomy website
• @awesomeastropod on Twitter / Awesome Astronomy Facebook page
• Email: theshow@awesomeastronomy.com