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Bedtime Astronomy

Bedtime Astronomy

By: Synthetic Universe
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About this listen

 Welcome Bedtime Astronomy Podcast. We invite you to unwind and explore the wonders of the universe before drifting off into a peaceful slumber.

Join us as we take you on a soothing journey through the cosmos, sharing captivating stories about stars, planets, galaxies, and celestial phenomena.

Let's go through the mysteries of the night sky, whether you're a seasoned stargazer or simply curious about the cosmos, our bedtime astronomy podcast promises to inspire wonder, spark imagination, and lull you into a restful sleep under the starlit sky.

Podcast music by Synthena
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Episodes
  • This Week in Astronomy: Simulating the Universe’s First Light, Through Cosmic Lenses and Ancient Water

    This Week in Astronomy: Simulating the Universe’s First Light, Through Cosmic Lenses and Ancient Water
    Jun 18 2025
    In this week, we'll be covering:

    Simulating the Universe’s First Light with SKA-Low Scientists created an advanced simulation of what the SKA-Low radio telescope will detect when it starts observing the early universe. The project focuses on capturing ultra-faint 21-cm hydrogen signals from the Cosmic Dawn and the Epoch of Reionization—eras when the first stars and galaxies lit up the cosmos after a long dark age. This simulation includes realistic foreground interference, technical noise, and cosmic signals, helping researchers refine data analysis techniques before SKA-Low becomes operational. The goal is to study the universe’s first light with unmatched detail.

    Through Cosmic Lenses: Unlocking the Universe with Light and Gravity Researchers are using a technique called multi-messenger gravitational lensing, which combines gravitational waves and electromagnetic signals bent by massive cosmic structures, to observe distant cosmic events from multiple perspectives. This emerging field helps answer big questions about dark matter, gravity, and the expansion of the universe. International collaborations and new instruments like the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA network are central to this effort, aiming for major breakthroughs in the coming decade.

    Ancient Water Ice Found Around Young Star Suggests Pre-Solar Origins Astronomers have detected semi-heavy water ice (with deuterium) around a young star similar to the early Sun, thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope. This finding supports the theory that much of the water in our solar system formed in cold, dark interstellar clouds long before the Sun existed. The deuteration ratio in this system is close to that found in comets and Earth’s oceans, hinting at a common origin. Ongoing research will study more young stars to trace the cosmic journey of water across space and time.
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    16 mins
  • This Week in Astronomy: The Fate of Milky Way, The Biggest Map of The Universe and A New Eye on the Universe

    This Week in Astronomy: The Fate of Milky Way, The Biggest Map of The Universe and A New Eye on the Universe
    Jun 11 2025
    This episode explores the dynamic and ever-evolving nature of our universe. First, we delve into the surprising new research challenging the long-held belief of an inevitable head-on collision between the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies, revealing a more uncertain cosmic dance. Then, we journey to the far reaches of space with the release of COSMOS-Web, the largest map of the universe ever created using the James Webb Space Telescope, which is already upending our understanding of early galaxy formation. Finally, we look to the near future with the imminent unveiling of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory's first images, an astronomical marvel poised to revolutionize our understanding of dark energy, dark matter, and the transient universe, all while navigating the growing challenge of light pollution.
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    19 mins
  • This Week in Astronomy; The Watlz Among the Stars, Following Gravitational Waves and Missing Black Holes

    This Week in Astronomy; The Watlz Among the Stars, Following Gravitational Waves and Missing Black Holes
    Jun 4 2025
    The Waltz Among the Stars To honor Johann Strauss II’s 200th birthday, the European Space Agency broadcast his iconic waltz The Blue Danube into space, transforming a musical symbol of cosmic elegance into a literal interstellar message. Performed live by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and transmitted via satellite, the waltz now travels through the universe—chasing Voyager 1—offering a poetic gesture of unity, imagination, and the hope of one day touching the infinite.

    Following a Gravitational Wave from Beginning to End For the first time, scientists have simulated the complete journey of a gravitational wave as it interacts with a black hole, from "past infinity" to "future infinity." Using a custom-built program called COFFEE, they revealed how black holes absorb and reflect gravitational waves, creating complex ripple patterns and a signature "ringing." The research deepens our understanding of space-time and supports future work with detectors like LIGO.

    New Clues Reveal Missing Black Holes Researchers have uncovered compelling evidence for intermediate-mass black holes—long-theorized but rarely observed—by reanalyzing gravitational wave data from LIGO and Virgo. These findings, bolstered by AI and upcoming missions like LISA, offer new insights into black hole evolution and the early universe. With plans to one day listen for cosmic signals from the moon, scientists are entering a transformative era in black hole discovery.
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    14 mins

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