We talk about how the human body reacts to space travel, with astronaut and physician Dave Williams and science writer Elizabeth Howell, authors of Why am I Taller? This week on The Cosmic Companion, we look at some of the effects space travel has on the human body, and examine…

We look at the future of food in the final frontier, talking with Lenore Newman and Evan Fraser, authors of Dinner on Mars! — This week on The Cosmic Companion, we look at The Future of Food in Space. We will discuss how people have answered — and continue to refine — the challenges of eating in habitations away from our home world. Later in the show, we will talk with Lenore Newman and…

The Moons of Jupiter have upended history and science for hundreds of years. We look in on these planetary troublemakers with Stephen Kane of UC Riverside. — This week on The Cosmic Companion, we examine The Mischievous Moons of Jupiter! Journey with me, discovering some of the many ways the moons of Jupiter have upended history, science, and our ideas of our place in the Universe. Later in the show, we welcome Stephen Kane, astrophysicist at The…

There are a LOT of weird planets out there — Here’s a look at what makes our own Earth one of the weirdest! — This week on The Cosmic Companion, we’ll look at Earth: What a Weird Planet, exploring some of the odd facts which make our world such an odd place. Later in the show, we’ll be talking with Kathryn Williams, editor of Weird but True! World 2023 from National Geographic. The most…

Ocean floors — here on Earth as well as on other worlds — beckon to be explored… — This week on The Cosmic Companion, we’ll be Exploring Ocean Floors from Earth out to distant stars. Later in the show, we’re going to be talking with Catherine Musemeche, author of Lethal Tides, a new biography telling the story of pioneering oceanographer Mary Sears. Earth is an ocean world, with…

Doing astronomy with artificial intelligence opens doors to the Universe and could answer one of the greatest questions of all time. — This week on The Cosmic Companion, we discuss how artificial intelligence opens a Universe of understanding the Cosmos. For centuries, the human mind was the only way we had to interpret images and data from telescopes. The idea of artificial intelligence goes back to at least the days of the…

The Southern Beehive — or NGC 2516 — seen in a new image from The Cosmic Companion, created with Telescope Live! — Nearly 1,300 light years from Earth, in the southern constellation of Carina, the open star cluster NGC 2516 shines from the light of thousands of stars. Stars forming a halo around this body stretch 1,600 light years from side to side. …

Amateur astronomy is entering a new golden age — armchair astronomy. Here is a look at how you can see the Cosmos without leaving home. — This week on The Cosmic Companion, we look at doing Astronomy from Home. We’ll be talking with Alex Curry, one of the co-founders of Telescope Live. We will discuss amateur astronomy in the modern age — from the comforts of home. There was a time, not long ago, when most…

The Pipe Nebula — or B78 — seen in a new image from The Cosmic Companion and Telescope Live! — Head out 450 light years from Earth, nearly in the direction of the center of the Milky Way galaxy, and one will come across a family of dark clouds — the Ophiuchus dark cloud complex. Gas and dust within these complexes are collapsing, forming stars of the future. First seen…