logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2024
31m 21s

Seeking supernovas

Bbc World Service
About this episode

The James Webb Space Telescope has revealed the clearest ever view of the stunning Cassiopeia A supernova, complete with a weird feature called 'the green monster'. Professor Dan Milisavljevic, an astronomer at Purdue University, tells us all about his research into this space-based beauty.

Professor Tamara Davis from the University of Queensland has been turning her eye to far more distant supernovas, and explains how they have given us new insight into the Universe's expansion.

Moving on to human history, William Barrie from the University of Cambridge tells us about a new study that explores the reason for high levels of multiple sclerosis in northern Europe.

And going further back in time, researcher Ethan Mooney has studied a sample of fossilised skin, which may be the oldest ever discovered.

Presenter: Roland Pease Producer: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell Editor: Martin Smith Production co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

(Photo: Cassiopeia A Supernova. Credit: Nasa, ESA, CSA, STScI, Danny Milisavljevic, Purdue University, Ilse De Looze, UGent, Tea Temim, Princeton University)

Up next
Oct 2025
How science got here, and where next
As anti-science leaves research reeling, does evidence-based policy in a scientific society have much of a future? Michael Mann, Naomi Oreskes, Angie Rasmussen and Deb Houry discuss some of the sources and motivations that perhaps belie the current state of scientific affairs. Pr ... Show More
31m 30s
Oct 2025
Coral extinctions and chalky unknowns
As two species of coral are killed off by the 2023 heatwave in the Florida reefs, the abilities of different plankton species to cope with rising CO2 remain crucially unknown. Also, retrospective research shows a strong suggestion that mRNA covid vaccination might serendipitously ... Show More
37m 58s
Oct 2025
Paris agreement impacts and drought realities
Ten years on from the Paris climate agreement, has it helped? Also, an international drought experiment, insights from 2D water, and social distancin in ants. Presenter: Roland Pease Producer: Alex Mansfield Production co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth(Photo: Small bushfire. ... Show More
38m 45s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2023
Mapping the universe
A rocket launch, super-massive black holes and ghost particles! This past week’s scientific findings are testament to how hard-at-work cosmologists and physicists have been seeking out the fundamental building blocks of our universe and the rules that govern it. Professor of Cosm ... Show More
35m 18s
Jul 2025
Dark Energy Unveiled: New Insights from Supernovae, Lunar Magma Mysteries, and Europe's Space Weather Watch
In this episode of SpaceTime, we uncover groundbreaking revelations about dark energy, lunar geology, and Europe's innovative space weather monitoring initiative.Dark Energy: A Changing Force?Astronomers have compiled the largest supernova dataset to date, revealing tantalizing h ... Show More
24m 7s
Jul 2022
What’s the James Webb telescope searching for?
A lava planet, life on other worlds, the very first starlight in the universe — the most powerful space telescope ever built is ready to reveal many mysteries of the cosmos. For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more abo ... Show More
48m 53s
Nov 2023
Massive mysterious blasts // Colliding neutron stars // Juice | S26E142
<b>The Space News Podcast.</b> <b>SpaceTime Series 26 Episode 142</b><br /><b>*Discovery of massive mysterious blasts in the distant universe </b><br />Astronomers are baffled by a mysterious series of massive explosions in the distant Universe which are emitting more energy than ... Show More
35m 48s
Dec 2021
40 - How Will JWST Change Astronomy?
<p>Today we dive into the world&apos;s shiny new space telescope - JWST. Learn why are physicists and astronomers are so excited about it, and what new secrets of the universe it might reveal. Keep your eye out for its launch later this week!</p><p><a rel="payment" href="https:// ... Show More
19m 52s
Feb 2024
S27E24: The Milky Way's Rugby Ball: Sagittarius A* Spins SpaceTime
The Space, Astronomy & Science Podcast. SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 24 *Warping SpaceTime: The Fast-Spinning Black Hole at the Milky Way's Heart NASA's Chandra X-ray Space Telescope and the Very Large Array have observed the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* at our galaxy's ... Show More
25m 1s
Sep 2023
S26E106: The Violent Accretion Disk of a Supermassive Black Hole // The Monster Centaurus A // Indian Lunar Rover
<b>The Space News Podcast.</b> <b>SpaceTime Series 26 Episode 106</b> <b>*The violent accretion disk of a supermassive black hole</b> Astronomers have for the first time ever, captured spectra from the tumultuous accretion disk of an actively feeding super massive black hole. <b> ... Show More
34m 18s