It’s the closest supernova of its type since 1986, and astronomers from around the Earth – and in space – are racing to see it.  The supernova was first spotted by the Palomar Transient Factory survey, and Tavi has been credited by the IAU as providing the first confirmation.  The supernova (given the temporary name PTF 11kly) is of the type Ia, a critical “standard candle” tool used by astronomers to measure the size and expansion of the Universe.

Also on today’s Event^Horizon:  Hurricane Irene, Global Warming, Diamond Planet Discovered, & A Black Hole Devours a Star!

Tonight’s Event^Horizon is hosted by Rob Keown and Michael Foerster, joined by our newest celebrity – Mighty Supernova Hunter Tavi Greiner!  (Our regular Event^Horizon hosts, Nick Evetts and Marty Kunz, are expected to return next week.)

The Event^Horizon!

This week on the Horizon ~ ASTRONOMY DAY, with our special guest is Rickey Ainsworth, Assistant Astronomy Day Coordinator for the Astronomical League.  Ainsworth is the Manager of the Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium (Grand Rapids Public Museum, Michigan USA).  Rickey joins Marty and Nick in exploring Astronomy Day around the world!

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On this evenings Event Horizon, Marty Kunz and Nick Evetts  was joined by Paul Harper aka HonorarySpock (from UBS), to talk about a famous historical astronomer, Sir William Herschel and his sister Caroline Herschel.

Here are some of the links from the radio programme:

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/paulrharper151/CroydonAstronomicalSocietyVisitToBath2010# Pictures of a visit to Herschel museum

http://messier.obspm.fr/xtra/Bios/wherschel.html Catalogue of Herschel Objects

http://www.klima-luft.de/steinicke/ngcic/persons/herschel_w.htm

http://www.bath-preservation-trust.org.uk/museums/herschel/?id=8

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:40-foot_telescope_mirror.jpg
Other links mentioned

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11444022

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gliese_581

Green cloud is Hanny's Voorwerp

Join Event Horizon host, Nick Evetts, on Sunday, August 15th, 2010 at 1900 GMT / 3 PM EDT, when he is joined by citizen scientist Hanny van Arkel on AFM*Radio.

Van Arkel is the discoverer of “Hanny’s Voorwerp,” a mysterious extra-galactic object 700 million light-years distant.  She discovered the object by participating in “Galaxy Zoo,” a citizen science initiative to catalog millions of celestial objects, mostly galaxies.

Nick will be asking questions about her discovery, as well as the Galaxy Zoo project.  You, too, can ask questions via the Astronomy.FM chatroom and Twitter!

Replays can be heard during the next 24 hours, with a podcast available shortly thereafter!

* Under British Skies – Live observing updates and discussion – Thursday and Friday, 2100 UT (5:00 pm EDT)

* A Sky Full of Stars – When Planets and Particles Collide videocast – Thursday, 0100 UT (9:00 pm EDT)

NOTE: To view the When Planets and Particles Collide presentation, log -in to the Adobe Connect room as a “guest”.  You can then listen via the room audio or through AFM*Radio.  If you choose to listen via AFM*Radio, don’t forget to mute your Adobe Connect sound.

* Event Horizon – Friday, 0100 UT (9:00 pm EDT)

Spooky Cousins at a Distance

The podcast of “Quantum Leap” on “Event^Horizon” is now available!

Some links discussed during the show include:

• Higg’s Mechanism Overview
• Higg’s Field
• Higg’s Visualizations
• Higg’s Rumor Dismissed
• Entanglement: Quantum Cryptography
• Recent Article on DNA and Entanglement

The first broadcast of the “Quantum Leap” program will be on August 29, 2010.

Show Announcement (this show has aired, the podcast is available below)

It’s homecoming week this weekend on AFM*Radio’s “Event Horizon” when hosts Marty Kunz and Nick Evetts are joined by  physicist, meteorologist and amateur astronomer Thomas Kennedy, and SkyGuide Rob Keown, for a discussion and debate on the latest in cosmology and astrophysics.

Thomas and Rob are former co-hosts of the show “Quantum Leap,” and Thomas continues to pen a series of articles under the same name on A Sky Full of Stars.

We’ll take your questions, and show you nifty tips like how the 1960 sitcom The Patty Duke Show can help you envision entanglement, and how hallucinations about black strap molasses can give you a clue about the yet-to-be-proven Higg’s Boson and Higg’s Field. That’s this Friday evening at 9PM EDT, Saturday morning at 0100 UT on AFM*Radio. Replays every 4 hours during the following day and podcast publication.

Original show notes and the podcast of Part I can be found here.

WHEN: May 8th, 0100 UT  (May 7th, 9 PM Eastern Time)

WHERE: on AFM*Radio’s “Event Horizon“

WHAT: Part II of “Space Probes” – Last week’s episode covered probes from Sputnik I to the end of the 1960′s.  Part 2 will bring you the key spacecraft and events of the 1970′s and 80′s.

HOW: Go to the home page and click on “LISTEN NOW” or “Other Listening Options.”

Last week’s hosts were Marty Kunz and Nick Evetts.  Tonight, substituting for Marty, AFM*Radio Skyguide Honorary Spock will join Nick in presenting more of the story.

Join us in the chatroom to ask questions or to relate your stories and memories about a particular mission (where were you when Mars Sojurner rolled off the lander’s petals?).

MISSED PART 1?

You can hear the podcast of “Space Probes Part I” by clicking below.  Remember: you can subscribe to AFM*Radio podcasts via Itunes or our podcast feed.