199: Why can't we find Planet Nine with Prof. Lawler

FromSpacepod

Start listening View podcast show

199: Why can't we find Planet Nine with Prof. Lawler

FromSpacepod

ratings:

Length:

28 minutes

Released:

Jul 24, 2022

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

Professor Lawler discusses why planet nine might not exist. She explains why reporting not finding something is as important as reporting a discovery. She tells us how satellite internet is getting in the way of astronomical observations.

Released:

Jul 24, 2022

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Hear stories about the alien moons orbiting our Sun, of cold stars, and the future of space exploration. Every week, scientist Dr. Carrie Nugent chats about an amazing part of our universe with an expert guest. Spacepod is the podcast that gives you an inside look into space exploration. Learn more: http://listentospacepod.com

Skip carousel

8: Accessible asteroids with Brent Barbee: Brent Barbee discusses how he figures out which asteroids astronauts could fly to, and the fun of solving problems using computers. by Spacepod
13 min listen
11: How many asteroids are out there? With Dr. Mainzer: Dr. Amy Mainzer discusses how she and her team calculated how many asteroids are out in space, waiting to be discovered. by Spacepod
13 min listen
1: Titan's Lakes with Dr. Cable: On this week's episode, Dr. Morgan Cable of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory talks about Saturn's moon Titan, and how she creates mini Titan lakes in her laboratory. by Spacepod
14 min listen
14: We are all made of star stuff... or are we? With Dr. Rich: Dr Jeff Rich talks about where elements come from, and the famous phrase, "We are all made of star stuff". by Spacepod
16 min listen
3: The moons of Mars with Dr. Fraeman: Dr. Abby Fraeman talks about Phobos and Deimos, the mysterious moons of Mars. by Spacepod
15 min listen
18: Pluto’s big mystery with Dr. Buratti: Dr Bonnie Buratti talks about Pluto's big mystery: What is the source of energy that is causing all the active geology seen by New Horizons? by Spacepod
14 min listen
10: Craters on the moon with Dr. Cohen: Dr. Barbara Cohen discusses craters on our moon, and how they will be explored by a new NASA mission called Lunar Flashlight. by Spacepod
16 min listen
25: Why couldn't New Horizons orbit Pluto?: The New Horizons mission revealed Pluto's jaw-dropping vistas and geophysical mysteries. One listener wanted to know why the spacecraft didn't go into orbit around Pluto. Tom Spilker, interplanetary travel expert, tells us the answer. by Spacepod
18 min listen
22: Merging galaxies with Dr. Privon: Dr. George Privon talks about what galaxies are and what happens when two galaxies merge. by Spacepod
14 min listen
7: Exploring Mercury with Dr. Chabot: Dr. Nancy Chabot tells us about the MESSENGER mission, which explored the closest planet to the sun. by Spacepod
11 min listen
12: Exploring planets from your living room with Emily Lakdawalla: Emily Lakdawalla talks about UnmannedSpaceflight.com, a place where everyday people explore the solar system by processing images from robotic spacecraft. by Spacepod
15 min listen
6: Hubble sees a collision with Rob Landis: Rob Landis talks about operating the Hubble Space Telescope, and the time he had a front-row seat to a dramatic interplanetary collision. by Spacepod
13 min listen
48: Threading an asteroid through the eye of a keyhole with Dr. Chodas: This week’s guest is Dr Paul Chodas, who directs JPL’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies. He explains how predicting where an asteroid is going can get complicated when the asteroid gets close to a planet. He also talks about an app that lets you e by Spacepod
10 min listen
30: Space weathering with Dr. Kaluna: Dr. Heather Kaluna talks about space weathering, which changes the surfaces of the moon, asteroids, and Mercury. She studies space weathering in a laboratory, where she can reproduce hundreds of millions of years of weathering in just forty minutes. by Spacepod
11 min listen
9: NASA high jinks with Dr. Paddack: Dr Paddack, one of the discoverers of the YORP effect, tells some funny stories from his time at NASA. by Spacepod
16 min listen
5: The coldest stars with Dr. Kirkpatrick: Dr. Kirkpatrick talks about stars so cold you could touch them without getting burned. by Spacepod
12 min listen
4: LADEE explores the moon with Dr. Noble: Dr. Sarah Noble talks about the LADEE mission and an epiphany she had in graduate school. by Spacepod
12 min listen
20: Tuning in to comet radio stations with Prof. Lovell: Professor Amy Lovell talks about listening in on radio waves coming from comets, as well as the particular challenges of using the world's biggest radio telescopes. by Spacepod
14 min listen
13: Cassini explores Saturn and its moons with Dr. Spilker: Dr. Linda Spilker discusses the Cassini Spacecraft; what it looks like, what it has discovered, and plans for the conclusion of the mission. by Spacepod
16 min listen
15: Finding Europa in our Antarctic backyard with Dr. Schmidt: Dr. Britney Schmidt tells us about how she can learn about they icy, watery moon Europa by exploring giant Antarctic ice shelves with submarines. by Spacepod
16 min listen
17: Landslides on Mars with Dr. Watkins: Dr. Jessica Watkins talks about enormous landslides on Mars that are millions of years old. by Spacepod
11 min listen
19: Where to land on Mars, and where to look for Martian microbes with Prof. Ehlmann: Professor Bethany Ehlmann discusses how to pick a landing site for NASA's next Mars rover, Mars 2020. Over a particularly good beer, we also cover looking for life on Mars, and she answers the thorny question: why look for life on Mars, which has little by Spacepod
24 min listen
16: The strange surfaces of asteroids with Dr. Busch: Dr. Michael Busch talks about the strange, low gravity surfaces of asteroids, and the challenges a visiting astronaut might face. by Spacepod
13 min listen
51: When Mars was the “Pink Planet” with Dr. Smith: Dr. Issac Smith visits the show to talk about one of Mars’ past ice ages; a time when most of the planet was covered in ice. He talks about how he made this discovery by looking at the layers of ice deposited on the planet’s North pole. by Spacepod
15 min listen
24: Engineering the Galileo Probe, Pt 2.: In part 2, engineers who worked on the Galileo probe discuss what it was like when the probe entered Jupiter's atmosphere. This episode includes a bonus story about Pioneer Venus. by Spacepod
13 min listen
31: If we could put Mars in a bottle… with Paulo Younse: Paulo Younse has spent over 5 years studying hermetic seals for tubes. But these aren’t just any tubes— there the tubes that will travel to Mars and carry rocks back to Earth. He describes the challenges of designing the perfect tubes for this ambitio by Spacepod
17 min listen
27: Searching Iceland’s lava fields for life on Mars with Dr. Cable: Dr Morgan Cable comes back on the podcast to tell us about how she and a team of scientists searched a fresh lava field in Iceland to look for signs of life. They pretended to see the landscape like a rover would, so that the lessons they learned in Icela by Spacepod
20 min listen
46: Spacecraft no bigger than a breadbox with Dr. Asphaug: Professor Erik Asphaug stops by the show to discuss AOSAT-1, a tiny spacecraft that will contain experiments to study the surface of asteroids. AOSAT-1 will rotate once every minute, creating a force inside that exactly mimics gravity on an asteroid. We d by Spacepod
12 min listen
41: The last of the “great observatories” with Dr. Storrie-Lombardi: Dr. Lisa Storrie-Lombardi talks about the Spitzer Space Telescope. She tells us how Spitzer made the first observation of light from a planet outside our solar system. She also describes how engineers are constantly innovating, letting Spitzer make better by Spacepod
15 min listen
29: Keeping the James Webb Space Telescope cool with Dr. Stone: The James Webb Space Telescope is the biggest astronomy project in the world right now. It’s an amazingly complex robot, and some of its sensors need to be kept cool. Dr Kris Stone talks about the cooling system, and how it will be tested during the lon by Spacepod
18 min listen

More Episodes from Spacepod

Skip carousel

219: Breaking the models with Dr. Merrison: Dr. Jon Merrison talks about the Mars Simulation Laboratory. Here, scientists study what happens in low temperature, low pressure, windy environments. He says visiting scientists often "come to our lab with some idea based on the conventional... by Spacepod
32 min listen
218: Anything we try is new with Dr. Cable: Dr. Morgan Cable returns to the show after nine years! She tells us how she creates new minerals in her laboratory. She explains how this work helps shape NASA's Dragonfly mission. She encourages listeners to have confidence in their results. by Spacepod
27 min listen
217: A beautiful experience with Dr. Villanueva: Dr. Geronimo Villanueva tells us about solar system discoveries with JWST. He talks about several projects, including observing water plumes from Saturn's moon Europa and looking for rings around Mars. He shares what it feels like to use this... by Spacepod
27 min listen
Bonus: Carrie's research update: I was sick for a few weeks this month and had to delay the scheduled interview. In the meantime, I've got a bonus episode for you. In this episode I talk about FindPOTATOs, which is software written by Nicole Tan and me, Carrie Nugent, to find... by Spacepod
10 min listen
216: Right and wrong theories in planetary science with Prof. McKinnon: Professor Bill McKinnon, 2023 recipient of the Kuiper Prize, reflects on his career as a planetary scientist. He tells us about a theory of his that was proven right, one that was proven wrong, and what he thinks might be proven wrong in the future. by Spacepod
25 min listen
215: Naming asteroids with Dr. Williams: Dr. Gareth Williams tells us about asteroid names. He explains the rules around naming asteroids and tells us how an asteroid name lead to a surprise trip to meet one of his heroes. by Spacepod
26 min listen
214: Astronauts on the moon with Dr. Denevi: Dr. Brett Denevi talks to us about the planned Artemis missions to the moon's South Pole. There, astronauts will collect rocks and other samples. She describes how geologists are working with the astronauts to ensure that the best, most interesting... by Spacepod
44 min listen
213: The Six with Loren Grush: Loren Grush talks about her new book, "The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women in Space." She explains why Sally Ride was chosen to be the first American woman to go to space, and how the resulting attention was difficult for her. Loren... by Spacepod
37 min listen
211: The Sparkler Galaxy with Prof. Mowla: Professor Lamiya Mowla tells us about an exciting JWST discovery. She describes gravitational lensing as "nature's magnifying glass." She also explains why she likes calling telescopes time machines. We discuss pretty and shiny things, and why... by Spacepod
33 min listen
Bonus episode: The upcoming American total solar eclipse: A quick bonus episode about the April 8th, 2024 total solar eclipse in Mexico, the US, and Canada! I talk about the difference between a partial and total solar eclipse, and share some tips in case you want to travel to see it. by Spacepod
4 min listen
210: Wonders of the Night Sky with Prof. Prinja: Professor Raman Prinja talks about his new book, "Wonders of the Night Sky." He tells us how we are lucky to live on a planet with a transparent atmosphere. He also shares stargazing tips for city dwellers as well as long-haul truck drivers. The... by Spacepod
23 min listen
209: Mission to the largest moon in the solar system with Dr. Witasse: Dr. Olivier Witasse tells us about the Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer, or JUICE mission, which is currently traveling through space. JUICE will conduct 34 flybys of Jupiter's moons before orbiting Ganymede. Ganyemede may have significant liquid water, and... by Spacepod
25 min listen
208: Cosmic tug of war with Dr. Plazas Malagón: Dr. Andrés Plazas Malagón tells us about a field of astronomy called cosmology. He explains that either our universe is mostly made of mysterious stuff called dark energy, or the laws of physics are wrong. He also explains the difference between... by Spacepod
42 min listen
207: One of the stranger surfaces in the solar system with Dr. Cartwright: Dr. Richard Cartwright tells us about the moons of Uranus and explains why we should visit Uranus with an orbiting spacecraft. This mission would take decades to design, build, and travel to the planet. He also shares what he thinks about Uranus... by Spacepod
30 min listen
206: Every asteroid observation ever taken with Dr. Veres by Spacepod
28 min listen
205: The moon's right to exist with Dr. Prem: Dr. Parvathy Prem tells us about lunar ice. She says, "the moon records the history of our solar system neighborhood in a way that the Earth doesn't." Her simulations show that rocket landings can change lunar ice. We discuss different perspectives on... by Spacepod
33 min listen
204: Light Pollution with Kelly Beatty: Kelly Beatty shares easy things we can do to reduce light pollution. He tells us how artificial night light can harm humans, birds, and insects. He shares the five principles of good lighting, and explains how addressing light pollution can save money. by Spacepod
25 min listen
203: 11 hours and 23 minutes with Dr. Chabot: Dr. Nancy Chabot returns to the show to talk about the DART mission, which changed the orbit of an asteroid moon. This was the first demonstration of asteroid deflection technology. She explains how the mission worked, what scientists are discovering,... by Spacepod
27 min listen
202: Making atmospheres with Prof. Telus: Professor Myriam Telus shares how she studies atmospheres using meteorites. These experiments can teach us about exoplanet atmospheres and planet formation. She says science feels like a playground, with so much to explore. by Spacepod
25 min listen
201: International space law with Cordula Panosch: International space law expert Cordula Panosch explains what is and is not legal when it comes to deflecting an Earth-bound asteroid. Although much depends on the individual circumstances, she explains how existing laws govern what countries can and... by Spacepod
24 min listen
200: Pluto is a planet, and so is its moon with Dr. Runyon: Dr. Kirby Runyon shares his definition of "planet"-- a round celestial body that was never a star. Using this definition, there are over 150 planets orbiting our sun. He explains why the word planet matters, and why little planets might be the most... by Spacepod
29 min listen
198: Dragonfly with Dr. Turtle: Dr. Zibi Turtle is the Principal Investigator of NASA's Dragonfly mission. She tells us what it is like to design and build an octocopter that will roam the surface of Saturn's moon Titan. She also tells us about Titan's exciting chemistry. by Spacepod
25 min listen
197: A massive asteroid hit at tremendous speed with Prof. Richardson: Professor Derek Richadson gives us an update on the DART mission, which is headed towards tiny asteroid moon Dimorphos. If all goes well this fall, DART will crash into Dimorphos at four miles per second! This experiment will be a test of asteroid... by Spacepod
28 min listen
196: Spinning universe with Dr. Cheng: Dr. Jon Cheng tells us about his fluid flow experiments. These experiments investigate fundamental physics. They can be applied to the movement of the Earth's core as well as things like liquid batteries. Is electro-vortex flow the coolest phrase said... by Spacepod
25 min listen
195: Dark and quiet skies with Dr. Rawls: Dr. Meredith Rawls talks about the unintended consequences of artificial satellite constellations. Satellites change the night sky, impacting the people and animals that rely on it. Hundreds of thousands of these satellites may be launched, which... by Spacepod
40 min listen
194: Exoplanet next door with Prof Whitten: Prof Jenny Whitten tells us about VERITAS, a NASA mission that will orbit Venus. She explains how scientists will use radar to learn about the surface, and how they picked exactly which radar band to use. She also talks about how VERITAS will shed... by Spacepod
29 min listen
193: Orbital parking spots with Larissa Markwardt: Larissa Markwardt talks about Trojan asteroids-- asteroids that orbit the sun a little before or after planets. She describes the special technique she uses to find these asteroids, and why not finding any is an interesting result. by Spacepod
20 min listen
192: Craters on Titan with Prof. Neish: Professor Catherine Neish explains why there's so few craters on Saturn's moon Titan. She explains why Titan's craters may contain the organic molecules needed for life, and how the Dragonfly mission will test that hypothesis. by Spacepod
25 min listen
191: Back to Venus with Dr. Getty: Dr. Stephanie Getty tells us about DAVINCI, which will go to Venus. DAVINCI will scan the planet during three flybys, and will deploy a probe. She explains how engineers will protect the probe's instruments from Venus' harsh environment, and how you... by Spacepod
31 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

199: Why can't we find Planet Nine with Prof. Lawler

199: Why can't we find Planet Nine with Prof. Lawler

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Spacepod