Awesome Astronomy - July Part 1

Paul Hill, Ralph Wilkins and Dr. Jenifer “Dr. Dust” Millard host. Damien Phillips, John Wildridge and Dustin Ruoff produce.   The Discussion:  - More filming for the BBC - Long days and short nights. :^( - Showcasing amateur photography on noctilucent clouds. - Listeners’ emails on: - Less well known cultural names for Ursa Major. - The current planetary alignment in the sky.   The News:  Rounding up the astronomy news in April, we have: - The Milky Way once went through a massive rate of star formation. - Solving the riddle of how Mars’ storms can be so big and violent. - A new data release from the incredible Gaia space telescope. - Solving the riddle of Barnard’s Loop.   The big news story: A big boost in the search for life in the Universe.   The Sky Guide:  This month we’re taking a look at the constellation of Serpens with a guide to its history, how to find it, a couple of deep sky objects and a round-up of the solar system views on offer in July.    Q&A: Will a black hole always look like a donut whichever direction you observe it from?  From our good friend Mitch Sevier, presumed to be in the United States.   http://www.awesomeastronomy.com   Bio: Awesome Astronomy is a podcast beamed direct from an underground bunker on Mars to promote science, space and astronomy (and enslave Earth if all goes well).   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at [email protected].