Looking Up

Five minutes at the end of each week explores the big and the small questions in astronomy, cosmology, and space science. Hosted by Kechil Kirkham, no subject is too big or too small, and experts are regularly brought on board to illuminate and excite. Cape Town is the place to be for astronomy, with some of the largest telescopes in the world housed or being built not too far away. Looking Up takes advantage of the shoals of scientists and engineers working on the planet’s most advanced astronomy projects, who live and work right here in the Mother City. Kechil has recently acquired an MPhil in Space Studies at the University of Cape Town, and works in South Africa’s space industry on the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope.
Weekly English South Africa Places & Travel
438 Episodes
240 – 260

Looking up - 10 July 2020

3 snippets of science news: a new particle has been found, there are probably a lot more Earth-like planets in the Milky Way than previously thought, and some likely candidates have been found around a nearby star.
10 Jul 2020 5 min

Looking up - 03 July 2020

How do we justify spending on science and technology at a time like this? Well here to tell us about a very justifiable project is Willem Esterhuyse, an engineer on the Square Kilometre Array radio astronomy project. He is in charge of a project designing and manufacturing ventilators for use…
4 Jul 2020 5 min

Looking up - 26 June 2020

Astronomical discoveries continue. Two recent stories here: a new type of object has been discovered - a grey hole? Plus a beautiful new X-ray image of the universe. If you want a look try this website: http://www.sci-news.com/astronomy/erosita-x-ray-universe-08555.html
26 Jun 2020 5 min

Looking up - 19 June 2020

A host of telescopes and astronomers, including importantly, SALT up in Sutherland, have contributed a little more to our understanding of how a particular class of neutron stars go about their business of sucking the living daylights out of their companion stars. Here Dr David Buckley, and astronomer at the…
19 Jun 2020 5 min

Looking up - 12 June 2020

Scientists are continuing with their strange experiments, trying to understand our weird universe. Here Kechil mentions a couple of recent experiments with entanglement and quantum states, one taking place on the International Space Station.
12 Jun 2020 4 min

Looking up - 05 June 2020

I'll give you seconds after the start so you have a decent idea where the cuts should be made. Erase after she says "nice and hot and sunny now" (0:47) until I say "now tell us about this project" Erase after she says "that was supposed to be in 2020"…
5 Jun 2020 6 min

Looking up - 29 May 2020

Let us not worry about the South Atlantic Anomaly, but it's true that the Earth's magnetic field is weakening and that this gigantic area of low magnetic activity between Africa and South America may be splitting into two. What the implications are for us mere mortals is unclear, but nothing…
29 May 2020 5 min

Looking up - 22 May 2020

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned the Music of the Spheres, well there's more music to be had in space. Recently astroseismologists have started understanding two types of special star - Delta Scuti stars, which pulsate in complex ways. Modelling the behaviour of these types of stars helps to…
23 May 2020 4 min

Looking up - 15 May 2020

There's plenty going on in the space industry. China is testing its new rocket which will be used to construct its third crewed space station. The UAE is building a Mars orbiter, and Space-X is testing rockets and components to service and take astronauts the International Space Station. If you…
16 May 2020 5 min

Looking up - 08 May 2020

Many people of science through the ages have tried to come up with a general theory of everything. In ancient times it was thought that a creator would have made everything according to common laws and patters. The Harmony of the Spheres is a term you may have heard of,…
8 May 2020 3 min

Looking up - 01 May 2020

Not all satellites get in the way of astronomy. Some are in fact telescopes themselves, pointing outwards towards the heavens, taking images right up until the dawn of light. The Hubble Space Telescope turned 30 this last week, and earlier this year the Spitzer Space Telescope was decommissioned. What happens…
1 May 2020 4 min

Looking up - 24 April 2020

Last Wednesday a further 60 satellites were launched as part of SpaceX's Starlink project. Eventually many thousands of these small satellites will ring the Earth, providing Internet access to almost the entire globe. This is however problematic, as they interfere with astronomy given their light pollution. Willie Koorts shows us…
24 Apr 2020 4 min

Looking up - 17 April 2020

How is the current pandemic affecting astronomers and space missions? Are astronomers still able to work? How are the astronomical establishments responding to the crisis? Are rockets being launched into space? Fear not, this is not about the C-word and mentions no graphs or statistics, but describes how the scientists…
17 Apr 2020 4 min

Looking up - 03 April 2020

NASA has discovered gas emanating from Uranus. Trawling through 30-year old data from Voyager-2, scientists have found a large bubble of gas was flung out of Uranus's atmosphere and believe this could occur daily: a Uranian day being a mere 17 hours. Find out more about this gassy planet, and…
3 Apr 2020 4 min

Looking up - 27 March 2020

How do astronomers know how far away things are? We need to know this to achieve a sense of proper perspective, something we all need right now.
27 Mar 2020 4 min

Looking up - 13 March 2020

Where is everybody? Kechil runs through Fermi's Paradox, a list of a dozen or so reasons why we haven't heard from the aliens yet. Since it's Friday 13th let's add another one: they haven't visited Earth yet because they just can't be bothered.
13 Mar 2020 5 min

Looking up - 06 March 2020

How do we know anything for sure? Some folk need proof, personal tangible proof, before believing in anything. Astronomy some would say isn't a true science, since astronomical observations are so remote and there is nothing tangible about it. Robbie Lees, a Masters student at the University of Cape Town,…
6 Mar 2020 5 min

Looking up - 28 February 2020

Most of the stars we see are in fact more than one star, and typically they are binary systems where one star orbits another. In some cases one star begins to gobble up its companion and it can turn into what is known as a cataclysmic variable where the star…
28 Feb 2020 4 min

Looking up - 21 February 2020

What to do if a star goes supernova? This may well happen to Betelgeuse in Orion, as this red giant has been dimming more than expected, and could be in a 'pre-supernova' phase. Thankfully it's a long way away, as you wouldn't want to be anywhere near the formation of…
27 Feb 2020 4 min

Looking up - 14 February 2020

It's 30 years since Voyager-1 turned its camera back to Earth and took the iconic photograph called 'Pale Blue Dot. You may think we've photographed everything in our solar system but we have never explored the poles of the Sun. This is due to change as last Monday a probe…
14 Feb 2020 4 min
240 – 260