Episode 4 - Cool Science for Hot Times (July 2007)

Welcome to the July 2007 episode of Blueshift, from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Catch up on the latest astronomy headlines, and listen to our audio scrapbook from the American Astronomical Society meeting in Hawaii.

For this episode, we interviewed Dr. John Mather, co-winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics. Dr. Mather talks about cosmology, NASA missions, winning the Nobel Prize, and his induction into a little-known Swedish student organization. We've also got a new brain teaser!

• Introduction (0:00 - 1:16)
• Astronomy in the News (1:17 - 3:15)
  Two recent headlines in astronomy - a powerful double supernova in a distant spiral galaxy, and the discovery of over a thousand dwarf galaxies in the Coma cluster.
• Audio Scrapbook: American Astronomical Society Meeting (3:15 - 7:52)
  Highlights of the American Astronomical Society meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii (sun, sand, and supernovae).
• Interview: Dr. John Mather, 2006 Physics Nobel Laureate (7:53 - 16:17)
  NASA's Nobel Laureate tells us how he got to NASA and what it's like to be listed alongside Albert Einstein in Nobel history.
• Brain Teaser (16:18 - 17:35)
  Science and The Simpsons - the ultimate intersection with pop culture!
• Closing (17:36 - 18:43)

Astronomy in the News

In this episode, Caroline Kilbourne highlighted two recent headlines in astronomy - a double-whammy of supernovae in spiral galaxy MCG +05-43-16, and the discovery of 1,200 dwarf galaxies in the Coma cluster. For more information about these stories, visit these NASA pages:

• Press Release: NASA's Swift Sees Double Supernova in Galaxy (June 26, 2007)
• Press Release: Spitzer Nets Thousands of Galaxies in a Giant Cluster (May 29, 2007)
• Dwarf Galaxies in the Coma Cluster (Astronomy Picture of the Day)

Audio Scrapbook: American Astronomical Society Meeting

Twice each year, astronomers congregate for a meeting of the American Astronomical Society, an opportunity to see the latest research in the field and share their own results. Dave Thompson interviewed some of the attendees present at the 210th meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii. Visit these links for more information about the American Astronomical Society and some background on George Sonneborn's binary star research with FUSE:

• American Astronomical Society - a professional organization for professional astronomers, as well as physicists, mathematicians, geologists, engineers and others whose research interests lie within the broad spectrum of subjects now comprising contemporary astronomy.
• Press Release: NASA's FUSE Satellite Catches Collision of Titans (May 28, 2007)

Dr. John Mather

Interview: Dr. John Mather, 2006 Physics Nobel Laureate

We were thrilled to interview Dr. Mather for this episode of Blueshift, and find out more about his background, research, and Nobel win. Stay tuned for an extended version of the interview, and check out these links for more information:

• COBE, Cosmology, and John Mather - Dr. Mather's website at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
• The Nobel Prize in Physics 2006 - from the official Nobel Prize website