Shows
The Astroholic ExplainsTo Protect A Common HeritageThe battle against light pollution goes through policy and legislation. Certain regions of the world are actually in a better situation than you might think. While the road ahead is long, we talked to those who are paving the way.The episode features:Yana Yakushina, lawyer at the Space Court FoundationRayan Khan, founder of Cosmic TribeDr John Berentine, Principal Consultant at Dark Sky Consulting LLCRobert Massey, Deputy Executive Director of the Royal Astronomical SocietyJasmine van der Pol, Senior Programme Manager LUCI Association
2025-08-2229 min
The Astroholic ExplainsWhere The Dark Skies AreFor most people, a dark enough sky can only be accessed on holiday, away from cities. There is a growing movement of astrotourism, so we look into what that’s like, and how it helps the fight against light pollution. The episode features:Rayan Khan, founder of Cosmic TribeMegan Eaves, author of NightfaringShweta Kulkarni, founder of AstronERADani Robertson, Dark Sky Officer for Eryri National Park and the Areas of Outstanding Natural BeautyCarol Redford, Founder & CEO of Astroturism Western AustraliaMichael Rymer, Da...
2025-08-1531 min
The Astroholic ExplainsVanishing Stars, Vanishing Nature, Vanishing HealthThis episode of Starless focuses on the impact of light pollution. How has anthropogenic light changed the world in less than two centuries? The full impact is not completely understood, but what we know makes for a very concerning tale.The episode features:Dr Michelle Wooten, Assistant Professor of Astronomy Education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.Dr Mario Motta, Cardiologist and astronomer, whose work has specialized in the effect of light pollution on human health.Dr Brett Seymoure, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Biology at...
2025-08-0828 min
The Astroholic ExplainsFading To Black: The Dark Skies MovementIn this introductory episode, we will be talking about dark skies and light pollution in general, and what some organizations are doing to protect the night sky, as well as some of the misconceptions about reducing light pollution.Featuring:Rayan Khan, founder of Cosmic TribeMegan Eaves, author of NightfaringShweta Kulkarni, founder of AstronERADr John Berentine, Principal Consultant at Dark Sky Consulting LLCRobert Massey, Deputy Executive Director of the Royal Astronomical SocietyBettymaya Foott, Engagement Associate at DarkSky International
2025-08-0126 min
The Astroholic ExplainsConcerning Space-TimeFor the 2024 Christmas Special, we tackle Special Relativity and Chris's issues with time dilation and relativity in general!
Link for Invisible Rainbows
2024-12-2220 minThe Astroholic ExplainsWhat Was Egyptian Sky Iron?Chris and I decided to find out when humans realized that meteorites came from beyond Earth: it could be a lot older than it was once thought! Egyptologist Dr Victoria Almansa-Villatoro joins us to discuss meteorite artifacts and intriguing hieroglyphs from Ancient Egypt.
2024-08-0619 minThe Astroholic ExplainsFor How Long Have Humans Believed In Aliens?We are talking about ancient aliens. (No, not the racist conspiracy theory!) We look into the concept of extraterrestrials over history and how it originated. Who were the first recorded people who pondered about life outside Earth?
2024-07-1917 minThe Astroholic ExplainsHow Does Sound Spread In Space?In this episode, we tackle the classic concept of sound in space, what can we measure, and why it is important that some sound waves move through the cosmos.
2024-07-0213 minThe Astroholic ExplainsCould We Tell If We Were In A Middle Of A Galaxy Merger?Our position inside the Milky Way doesn't give us an advantageous view of our galaxy. But that doesn't mean we haven't found a way around it. Joined by Dr GyuChul Myeong, we explore how we make sense of the Milky Way and its past collision with the Gaia-Sausage galaxy.
If you are interested in my book, here is a link to the crowdfunding page.
2024-06-1822 minThe Astroholic ExplainsCan You Save A Dying Star?In the last episode, we looked at how stars end up dead. So Chris has an important follow-up: can you find a way to heal and save a dying star?
#InvisibleRainbows
2024-06-0415 minThe Astroholic ExplainsDo All Stars Expand When They Die?Our Sun and many other stars will become larger later in life. But is this a condition common to all stars? Guest questioner Francis wonders about the future of stars and their ultimate demise!
2024-05-2112 min
We Can Be WeirdosThe Rough Corner: Cosmic Cocktails and Invisible Rainbows ft. Dr Alfredo CarpinetiAstrophysicist Dr Alfredo Carpineti is an expert in seeing the unseeable. He's writing a book called ‘Invisible Rainbows’ - a journey through the light we cannot see and how we use it to protect the Earth, discover the unknown, and better understand our universe!***ANOTHER LIVE SHOW DATE!***We Can Be Weirdos will also be recorded LIVE on 17th June 2024, at the Underbelly Boulevard, London. Another wild night to ignite the suppressed bit of batsh*t in you.Head here for more info and tickets: https://underbellyboulevard.com/tickets/we-can-be-weirdos-live/
2024-05-1639 minThe Astroholic ExplainsBlack Diamonds Are Actually Extraterrestrials - Feat. Dr David PeggIn this episode, we tackle the peculiar carbonado diamond, a black diamond that looks very different from the glittering gems we might be more familiar with. And we will discover that its origin might be out of this world!
Carbonado Diamond going on auction
Invisible Rainbows
2024-05-0719 min
The Space WitchThe Space Witch Podcast Hosted by Layla MartinQuesto episodio del Podcast di The Space Witch è in italiano e inglese con sottotitoli. **This episode of The Space Witch Podcast is in Italian and English with subtitles. Learn more about Invisible Rainbows in outer space, Queer Italian astrophysicist, science journalist, and social activist, Dr. Alfredo Carpineti, an in depth analysis on the brilliance of Girls5Eva and the creators behind the scenes. Dr. Alfredo Carpineti (he/him) is a queer Italian astrophysicist, science journalist, and social activist. Dr. Carpineti has earned an MSc in Quantum Fields and Fundamental Forces and a PhD in Astrophysics from Imperial College London. H...
2024-05-0349 minThe Astroholic ExplainsCan Planets Truly Have One Climate?Planets in sci-fi are often portrayed as having a single climate, but how truthful is that idea? This audience question gets the full treatment from Alfredo & Chris as they deal with the tatooines, hoths, risas, synnaxes of the real universe!
2024-04-2318 min
The Astroholic ExplainsHunting The Great Mexican EclipseJoin us in this unplanned video & audio diary as we go after the April 8 total solar eclipse in Mexico. For the video version: https://youtu.be/SR00jigmgR0?si=LKLYaoqvq_YaUo6V For #InvisibleRainbows: https://unbound.com/books/invisible-rainbows
2024-04-1315 min
Probably TrueInspire (with Dr. Alfredo Carpineti)History is full of queer role models - you just have to know where to look. From 'confirmed batchelor' to 'Just Good Friends', Dr Alfredo Carpineti explains how our gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans heroes are hiding in plain sight throughout history.(Turns out the 'step-bro' thing has been around a VERY long time...)LINKS!- Buy a copy of Alfredo's book about science, queers, and history: 'Invisible Rainbows - Exploring the Unseen Universe Beyond Our Senses': https://unbound.com/books/invisible-rainbows- Alfredo's podcast, socials, Pride in STEM and other...
2024-04-0133 min
Raidercast43: Recapping First Time Tomb Raider 3Well, we made it at last. Alfredo's TR3 journey has concluded, but you had many questions for him. We gathered a big bunch of them, combined some, and I fired them at him for a special episode.
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If you'd like to support Alfredo's book crowdfund, check it out here:
https://unbound.com/books/invisible-rainbows
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Follow Alf at:
https://twitter.com/DrCarpineti
https://twitter.com/theAstroholic
Follow Chris at:
https://twitter...
2024-01-1448 minThe Astroholic ExplainsXS23 - Cosmicomics 100The Astroholic Explains Xmas Special is inspired by Italo Calvino's Cosmicomics on the 100th anniversary of the author's birth. Join us for an imaginative tale, not fantasy nor sci-fi, but one based on science facts: the formation of elements in stars and how they spread across the universe. ✨
And if you are interested in my book, here is a link to the crowdfunding.
2023-12-2113 min
The Astroholic ExplainsExclusive - Invisible Rainbows ExcerptI'm writing a book all about the astronomy we do with the light we cannot see with our own eyes. It's called Invisible Rainbows and features astronomers from all around the world.
If you are interested in finding out more and maybe pledge for a copy, click on this link.
2023-11-3005 min
Diversity in Research PodcastPRIDE in STEM - a conversation with Dr Alfredo CarpinetiIn this episode, we talk to Dr. Alfredo Carpineti, science reporter, founder and chair of PRIDE in STEM. We explored what PRIDE in STEM is - whether it's still important - and whether things are worse for LGTBQ+ people in STEM than in the rest of academia.That all led us to a conversation about the challenges of the politicisation of LGTBQ+ issues in many countries, internationalisation - and finally, how we can all help make academia more LGBTQ+ inclusive.Alfredo is good company - and we think everybody can learn a lot from our c...
2023-09-251h 06The Astroholic Explains61 - What's Beyond The Edge Of The Visible Universe? - Feat Professor Peter ColesIn this episode, Alfredo and Chris are joined by cosmologist Professor Peter Coles. Together they explore the limits of the visible universe, whether finite or infinite, why there is no center, and what might be beyond the most distant region we can see.
2023-08-1724 minThe Astroholic Explains60 - Before The Big BangWe don't know and will likely never know what happened before the Big Bang, but Chris is curious about it, so we take a journey in the land before time and space!
2023-08-0315 minThe Astroholic Explains59 - Lunacy! Or Conspiracy Theories About The Moon's OriginConspiracy theories and misconceptions about the Moon extend far beyond the Moon-landing! In this episode, we take a trip 4.5 billion years into the past to witness how Luna came to be.
2023-07-2017 minThe Astroholic Explains58 - Satellite Galaxies, Chance Alignments, And #BlackInAstro Feat. KeShawn IvoryWe sat down with KeShawn Ivory to talk about satellite galaxies, something weird happening around the Milky Way, and how it feels to win a major award from the Royal Astronomical Society!
2023-06-2919 minThe Astroholic Explains57 - What Cocktail Could You Make On Mars? Feat. Dr Laura FackrellThis episode starts with a whimsical question of what could we grow on Mars that we could use in a cocktail or mocktail, but we quickly expand on some important topics like what future space travelers might need in order to survive and ways to make agriculture on Earth more sustainable. And it all starts with a delicious cocktail designed by a team at NASA for The Astroholic Explains (here is the recipe).
2023-06-1514 minThe Astroholic Explains56 - Asteroid Collisions Are Not Certain Extinction Feat. Professor Birger SchmitzWhen we think of asteroid impacts, we often just picture Chicxulub and the mass extinction of three-quarters of the plant and animal species on Earth, 66 million years ago. But asteroid impacts can be less impactful to life, like the Popigai and Chesapeake impactors - not as big as Chicxulub but still big enough to create craters of over 80 kilometers across, way back around 35 million years ago. Cosmic material could even actually help life bloom.
2023-06-0127 minThe Astroholic Explains55 - To The Multiverse & Beyond!We talk about everything, everywhere all at once as we enter the multiverse! In this episode, we describe some ideas that scientists have proposed to explain things we see in the universe with no explanation, or simply to indulge in the idea of parallel dimensions.
2023-05-1822 minThe Astroholic Explains54 - Powering Mars With Wind Energy Feat. Dr Victoria Hartwick
In this episode, we focus on alternative energy approaches for future missions to Mars. NASA Ames' Dr Victoria Hartwick has recently published research about utilizing wind power on Mars, showing that it is not all solar or nuclear when it comes to exploring other worlds in the Solar System.
2023-05-0413 minThe Astroholic Explains53 - Stop Talking About It And JUICE Go To JupiterIn this episode, we talk all about JUICE, the European Space Agency mission that launches today April 13 to study the Icy moons of Jupiter (Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto) and the Jovian system - and also why I am in Germany to make a mocktail!
2023-04-1314 minThe Astroholic ExplainsXS22 - The GatewayOur Christmas Special this year is a little tale of realistic sci-fi, set just a few years from now. An astronaut is being interrogated about the events that took place in a space station around the Moon: The Gateway. Playing the characters are Chris and Alfredo, with a cameo from the ever-wonderful Katy Evans.
2022-12-2119 min
Raidercast33: A First Time Tomb Raider 2 RetrospectiveAlfredo, star of First Time Tomb Raider 1 and also coincidentally my husband, recently finished his first playthrough for Tomb Raider 2 for the game's 25th anniversary. It was a hell of a journey, and if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend checking it out! This episode highlights his thoughts and feelings about Lara's adventure to swipe the fabled Dagger of Xian from an Italian cult.
Watch here: https://tinyurl.com/FTTR1and2
2022-12-1049 minThe Astroholic Explains51 - How Can You Measure The Length of Days On Other Planets? Feat. Dr Christopher MankovichMeasuring the length of a day on Earth is relatively easy thanks to the Sun and stars. But it isn't as easy on some of the other planets, and astronomers had to get pretty clever to actually achieve those measurements. We spoke to Dr Chris Mankovich who was able to measure the length of a day on Saturn via an ingenious method.
2022-10-2016 min
A Little Light ListeningShining a Light on Space - Part 2In this episode we discuss with Alfredo Carpineti about how light has enabled us to communicate and display images to each other across continents, locate yourself to within a few metres anywhere on earth and to look back in time and see images across the depths of space including black holes which were imaged for the first time in 2019.
Hosted by David McGovern. Special thanks to our guest Alfredo Carpineti.
This podcast is created by Irish Photonic Integration Centre in partnership with Science Foundation Ireland. Special thanks to our producer Kieran Hurley from University College C...
2022-10-1041 min
IFLScience - The Big QuestionsHow Does Imagination Work?Every second of every day, whether we’re actively aware of it or not, we’re using our imagination: from what we might have for dinner to life on other worlds. But how can our brains conjure up stuff that we are not looking at or even images of things that don’t exist? Our host Dr Alfredo Carpineti is joined by cognitive scientist Professor Tyler Marghetis from the University of California, Merced to discuss how imagination works, how we can have "Eureka!" moments, and if imagination works the same for everyone.
2022-10-0725 minThe Astroholic Explains50 - Rocking Telescopes & Citizen Science Feat Unistellar's Dr Franck MarchisWe got to play with a Unistellar telescope and even collect data about an exoplanet, to learn we talked with Unistellar Chief Scientific Officer Dr Franck Marchis
2022-10-0618 minIFLScience - The Big QuestionsWhy Is The Universe Made Of Matter And Not Antimatter?Everything we see, from galaxies to capybaras, is made of matter. But matter has a mirrored version of itself known as antimatter. If the two come into contact they annihilate one another, turning into pure energy. Why does the universe prefer one over the other? This is a fundamental mystery of the universe, and at the forefront of the search for an answer is the Alpha Experiment at CERN. In this episode, host Dr Alfredo Carpineti is joined by experimental physicist and Alpha spokesperson Professor Jeffrey Hangst to understand the nature of mysterious antimatter.
2022-09-2324 minThe Astroholic Explains49 - What's The Great Attractor?In the zone of avoidance, far from us, something is pulling the Milky Way and so many other galaxies. It is time to meet The Great Attractor, a fascinating gravitational object.
2022-09-2222 min
Worst Foot ForwardEp 259: Dr. Alfredo Carpineti - World's Worst PlanetFollow us on Twitter: @worstfoot @bazmcstay @benvandervelde To trivia...and beyond! The podcast goes galactic this week with an episode about the World's Worst Planet and yes, we know, if you have a problem with the show's naming convention you're too late. We're 259 episodes in, we ain't going back now! Alongside us is astrophysicist Dr. Alfredo Carpineti who explains to us EXACTLY what a planet is, while Ben looks back in time and Barry cheats a bit by mentioning some moons. Follow us on Instagram: @worstfoot Join us on our Discord server! https://di...
2022-09-121h 10The Astroholic Explains48 - The Light Of The First Stars Feat. Dr Emma ChapmanIn this episode, we turn back time to the moment known as cosmic dawn ready to understand the first stars and how they changed the Universe. A guiding light in this journey is Dr Emma Chapman, author of the book First Light.
2022-09-0815 minIFLScience - The Big QuestionsCan Humans Live Forever?We live in a society that idolizes youth for sure, but also with age comes wisdom. However, aging is not all it’s cracked up to be. Could we keep getting older without the drawbacks of being old? Other animals do it, so maybe one day it could apply to humans too. In this episode, host Dr Alfredo Carpineti is joined by Dr Andrew Steele, author of Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old, to talk about the medical fight against old age at a cellular level and whether humans could ever live forever.
2022-08-2623 minThe Astroholic Explains47 - How Do Marsquakes And Moonquakes Happen?On Earth, quakes are caused by the motion of the tectonic plates. Quakes also happen on the Moon and Mars without them, and Chris is curious to find out how they occur as well as to listen to one of these outer-world quakes.
2022-08-2516 minThe Astroholic Explains46 - Square Kilometer Array: The Future Of Radio Astronomy Feat. Dr Anna BonaldiIn this episode, Chris is curious about a particular technique that allows building virtual radio telescopes the size of our planet, like the Event Horizon Telescope. So we invited an expert to tell us about radio interferometry and the Square Kilometer Array, the project that will push radio astronomy to new heights.
2022-08-1115 minIFLScience - The Big QuestionsHow Will The Universe End?Studying the Universe told us the cosmos began with the Big Bang. But how will everything end? In a cold and desolate nothingness? Or will everything collapse back into itself in a Big Crunch? In this episode, host Dr Alfredo Carpineti is joined by theoretical astrophysicist Dr Katie Mack, the Hawking Chair in Cosmology and Science Communication at the Perimeter Institute, who has written extensively about the subject. Together they discuss what the curtain call of the Universe might look like.
2022-07-2914 minThe Astroholic Explains45 - How Astronomers Broke The UniverseThere is something wrong with our model of the Universe. New data suggests that our assumptions about the cosmos are not all correct. Join us as we unravel the tension in the expansion rate of the Universe.
2022-07-2816 minThe Astroholic Explains44 - An Observatory As Big As Our Galaxy Feat. Rami MandowPulsars are the focus of this episode and we speak to radio astronomer Rami Mandow over in Australia to discuss how precise measurements of these fascinating objects have been used as a galaxy-spanning gravitational wave observatory.
2022-07-1426 min
The Astroholic Explains43 - The Booty Blaster And The Quest For An Everlasting MessageChris' gym workout on a machine he erroneously called "the booty blaster" inspired this episode where we discuss if it's possible to create something that will last as long as the universe. And that led us to a question for you, dear listener.
2022-06-3019 minThe Astroholic ExplainsXS21 - In That Cafe In Not Paris...Our Christmas Special this year is a peculiar tale of the intimate corners we might create as we leave Earth behind to live in space. It was written by Dr Russel Moul, as his first time penning a radio tale, with the excellent voice of The Astroholic Explains' team and the ever wonderful Katy Evans.
2021-12-2321 minThe Astroholic Explains41 - Quickfire Round Vol. 2We are at the final factual episode of season 3, so we went back to our very popular quickfire round format from season 2 and have once again crowdsourced many questions about the universe. Tune in to discover what happens if you try to hold a black hole, what's the biggest object in the universe, how many planets are out there, and how to make cocktails in microgravity.
2021-11-0431 minIFLScience - The Big QuestionsWhat Is The Universe Made Of?Everything we see and interact with, regular matter, is only a small fraction of what the universe contains. In fact, the vast majority of the universe is invisible to us. We've named these mysterious components dark matter and dark energy, but our understanding of them – and if they even exist – remains lacking. To unravel more of this mystery, Dr Alfredo Carpineti sat down with Dr Mandeep Gill from the Dark Energy Survey collaboration to ask: Will the new generation of upcoming observatories help us understand what the universe is really made of?
2021-10-2840 minThe Astroholic Explains40 - The Universe & The DivineIn this live recording of the podcast, hosted by the Central London Humanists, Alfredo and Chris tackle the surprising, the head-scratching, and sometimes the plainly absurd claims connecting the Universe with the divine. From alleged messages in the cosmic microwave background to the fine-tuning of the Universe, scientists, philosophers, and popes have had to grapple with what astronomy does and doesn’t tell us about humanity and religion.
2021-10-2133 minIFLScience - The Big QuestionsCan We Achieve Unlimited Energy?Humanity's ever-growing need for energy has led to a world that is dramatically changing, ravaged by extreme weather events. The way we get power has to change. Our question in this episode is about a potential new approach. Can we master nuclear fusion and achieve unlimited energy? Our host Dr Alfredo Carpineti talks to Dr Elise Delchambre of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) in France – the world's largest fusion experiment – about nuclear fusion, the many challenges ahead, and how it might change the world.
2021-10-1430 minThe Astroholic Explains39 - How To Find Life Beyond Earth Feat. Dr Mario Toubes-RodrigoLooking for life outside of our planet is far from easy, but researchers have many different tools they are using. We sat with Dr Mario Toubes-Rodrigo to discuss biosignatures and how we might eventually discover aliens.
2021-10-0722 minIFLScience - The Big QuestionsWhat Is Consciousness?Of all the mysteries of the universe, none is closer to us as human beings than this one: what is consciousness? How does our brain turn electrical signals into thoughts and feelings? In this episode, host Dr Alfredo Carpineti and Professor Liad Mudrik from the School of Psychological Sciences And Sagol School of Neuroscience at Tel Aviv University discuss these questions and more as they try and get to the bottom of what is consciousness?
2021-09-3040 minThe Astroholic Explains38 - There's Gold In Them Thar Asteroids!In this episode, we talk about everything related to "asteroid mining" from feasibility to legality to ethics. Are we going to get a futuristic gold rush in space?
2021-09-2316 minIFLScience - The Big QuestionsCan We Stop Or Reverse Climate Change?The climate crisis is unfolding around us with extreme weather events becoming more common and living organisms having to survive or perish in a changing world. In this episode, host Dr Alfredo Carpineti sat down with Dr Alexandre Kōberle, a research fellow at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change, to discuss how we got here, how we can avoid the worse case scenarios, what political will is needed, and if there are ways to actually fix the mess we are in?
2021-09-1615 minThe Astroholic Explains37 - Made Of Stardust Feat. Ashley WalkerWhat does it mean that we are made of stardust? Come on a short journey with astrochemist Ashley Walker on how stars create all the elements that made us possible.
2021-09-0914 minThe Astroholic Explains36 - What would I have to give up to live on Mars right now?The harsh reality of life on Mars requires some hefty personal sacrifices. Here is a handy list of what you would have to give up to start fresh on another planet
2021-08-1215 minThe Astroholic Explains35 - A.I. Astronomers AKA Making Alfredo Obsolete Ft. Dr Ashley SpindlerThere are over 200 billion galaxies in the observable universe. Artificial Intelligence is now playing a crucial role in analyzing the cosmos around us. We spoke to astrophysicist Ashley Spindler whose work is breaking new galactic boundaries!
2021-07-2945 minThe Astroholic Explains34 - The Do’s And Don’ts of Interstellar CommunicationIn this episode, we tackle interstellar communication with spacecraft that have left our solar system and how this could affect the search for extraterrestrial life
2021-07-1512 minThe Astroholic Explains33 - Seeing The Inside Of Stellar Explosions With Neutrinos Feat Dr Jost MigendaEvery second of the day you’re being bombarded by billions of neutrinos. While you can’t detect them, there is a colossal experiment in Japan that can. Join us and special guest Dr Jost Migenda to find out what they can tell us about the cosmos!
2021-07-0131 minThe Astroholic Explains32 - How Dark Is It In Space?Exactly how dark is the cold void of space? Picture yourself in the interstellar depths: what would you be able to see? In this episode we'll find out this answer and why it is of cosmic importance.
2021-06-1712 min
Curiosity WeeklyPainless Tips to Help the Environment (w/ Paul Greenberg)Learn why there could be stars made of antimatter. Plus: author Paul Greenberg’s tips to reduce your carbon footprint.
There could be stars made of antimatter in our galaxy by Briana Brownell
NASA - JSC Engineering - Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. (2013). Nasa.gov. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/engineering/projects/alpha_magnetic_spectrometer/index.html
may. (2017, April 19). Giant space magnet may have trapped antihelium, raising idea of lingering pools of antimatter in the cosmos. Science | AAAS. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/04/giant-space-magnet-may-have-trapped-antihelium-raising-idea-lingering-pools-antimatter
Dr Alfredo Carpineti. (2021, April 29). Where Antimatter Stars Are Located In The Milky Way (If They Actually Exist). IFLScie...
2021-06-1512 minThe Astroholic Explains31 - How To Turn The Sun Into A Giant Telescope Feat. Dr Slava TuryshevNo telescope lens that we can build will allow us to see an alien planet in detail, but there is a way to achieve incredible magnification. We just need to use the Sun as our "gravitational" lens!
2021-06-0338 minThe Astroholic Explains30 - Will human astronauts ever go to worlds other than Mars?All aboard for a grand tour of the solar system! We go planet to planet to evaluate the chances of humans exploring Earth’s neighbours in person.
2021-05-2030 minThe Astroholic Explains29 - Sex in Space! Feat Dr Eleanor Armstrong & Akvile TerminaiteDr Eleanor Armstrong & Akvile Terminaite join us in this new episode as we discuss the ins and outs of sex in space! We also talk tech and design to facilitate off-planet pleasure and why our vision of future exploration should center around people in all their identities and abilities!
2021-05-0644 min
Raidercast15: The Science of Tomb RaiderIn this special episode, I chat with astrophysicist, gamer, (and husband!) Dr. Carpineti about Lara's cosmically-entangled adventures. Inspired by the upcoming eclipse visible from parts of South America, we chat about the science behind how outer space is presented across the Tomb Raider games and films.
Follow Alfredo on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/drcarpineti
Check out our other podcast 'The Astroholic Explains':
https://anchor.fm/theastroholicexplains
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2020-12-1334 minThe Astroholic ExplainsXS20 - Death By EclipseOur Christmas special is finally here! This time we have a murder mystery set in a space hotel during a total solar eclipse featuring a full array of suspicious guests. Who among these peculiar characters is a murderer?
Please enjoy our latest work: "Death by Eclipse"
Starring (in order of appearance):
Steven Di Costa as the Narrator, Chris Carpineti as Dafydd Morgan, Suze Kundu as Sonam Vikram, Sheldon Goodman. as Cecil Fox, Sacha Coward as Jules Child, Dean Garland as the Security Guard, Eleanor Armstrong as Emily Lawless, Karl Byrne as Montgomery Colt, Benj...
2020-12-1244 minThe Astroholic Explains27 - The Eleventh PassengerOur final episode for season two is another fictional one. Our drama starts on a damaged starship at the edge of the solar system. Its commander has forgotten who she is, what she's doing there, and who the other passengers in this vessel are.
The episode features the voices of Chris Carpineti, Danielle Emina, Dr Suze Kundu, Emily, Lucy & Claire Waller, Tom Hale, Sacha Coward, Katy Evans, Hannah Sabrun, Mufseen Miah, Anne Jones.
There's a little teaser for our Christmas special at the end, voiced by Dr Steven Di Costa.
2020-10-2715 minThe Astroholic Explains26 - The Quickfire RoundFor the final factual episode of season 2, we have crowdsourced many questions about space. Tune in to discover how many atoms are in the universe, how we can tell that galaxies rotate, how we measure the speed of stars, what would happen if we blew up the Moon, and many more questions!
2020-10-1342 minThe Astroholic Explains25 - A Dive Into Uranus & Neptune - Feat. Naomi Rowe-GurneyUranus and Neptune are the Ice Giants of the Solar System. We are joined by Naomi Rowe-Gurney, who specializes in studying their atmospheres to uncover their mysteries, from their diamond rains to their likely funky smells!
2020-09-2924 min
HandmadeSilicone with Oz Ismail, Alfredo Carpineti and Andrew SmythIn this short material quandary episode, Anna Ploszajski hears from bakers Oz Ismail, Alfredo Carpineti and Andrew Smyth about the joys and frustrations of silicone.Support the podcast with a one-time donation here. Thanks for helping keep us going :)Thanks to Dave Shephard for our cover art, and Alex Lathbridge for the music mix.Follow the podcast on Instagram and Twitter, follow Anna Ploszajski on Instagram and Twitter.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/handmade. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit...
2020-09-2516 minThe Astroholic Explains24 - Number 2 Violates The Prime DirectiveA new fictional episode for you! A billionaire planning to nuke Mars send two hapless idiots to confirm that the planet is sterile. What could go wrong? We are also joined by Anuradha Damale to talk about nuclear weapons & space policy.
This episode starred Sacha Coward as Andrew, Sheldon Goodman as Joe, Chris Carpineti as the Narrator, Trip Galey as Jeb Tusk, and Anne Jones as Janine. It was written by Alfredo Carpineti, and produced and edited by Chris Carpineti.
2020-09-1530 minThe Astroholic Explains23 - Where Is The Closest Planet That Could Support Life?In this episode, we answer @BlueMouseEeek's 4-year-old's question regarding planets beyond Earth that can support life as well as facing the issues of a silicon-based life form.
2020-09-0115 minThe Astroholic Explains22 - The Solar System Is Like A PizzaWe are answering more of our listeners' questions in this episode. Jake wonders: how come all the planets in the solar system orbit almost on the same plane? And the answer has a culinary analogy!
2020-08-1820 minThe Astroholic Explains21 - The Fate Of The SunWe are back with a big apocalyptic question! In this episode, we talk about how the Sun will change and evolve and how that will impact the planets, moons, and space rocks of the Solar System
2020-08-0414 minThe Astroholic Explains20 - The MessageWe have a new fictional episode for you to enjoy, based around first contact with an alien civilization. This is The Message!
This episode was guest-edited by Dr Shaun O’Boyle. Secretary-General of the UN - Prayas Khan was played by Dr Suze Kundu. The Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs - James O’Brian was played by Karl Byrne, and the Chief of Staff - Damien Carré was Ben Couvin. Katelyn Gorrell was Abigail. Alfredo played Dr. Andrea Eco. The story was written by Alfredo with feedback & support from Trip Galey.
2020-07-2516 minThe Astroholic Explains19 - Is There Life on Mars? - Feat. Dr. Joby HollisIn this episode, we are joined by Dr Joby Hollis who is part of the science team of the NASA Perseverance rover to tackle the question of life on the Red Planet, and what to expect from Perseverance when it lands on Mars in 2021.
2020-07-1425 minThe Astroholic Explains18 - Ensnared In The Cosmic WebIn this episode, we are pulled towards the topic of gravity wells and we are caught in the cosmic web, talking about the origin of galaxies.
2020-06-3021 minThe Astroholic Explains17 - The Earth, The Moon, And A Game Of ShadowsIn this episode, we talk about what happens in the shadows around our planet, from the phases of the Moon to why eclipses can turn our satellite blood red!
2020-06-1612 minThe Astroholic Explains16 - Looking At The Sun Like Never Before Feat. Dr Dave WilliamsIn this episode, we are joined by European Space Agency scientist Dr. Dave Williams who talks about the incredible Solar Orbiter mission. This will study the solar wind, the interior of the Sun, and will observe the polar region of our star for the very first time!
2020-06-0226 minThe Astroholic Explains15 - How To Destroy The EarthWe are back for season 2 and we start with a question every supervillain wants answering: how to completely annihilate the Earth using whatever the cosmos provides!
2020-05-1924 min
iCRAGoramaPANDEMIC SPECIAL "Research in 2020" with Prof Chris Jackson and Divya Persaud (feat. The Astroholic Explains!)In this one-hour special, Ben is joined by Dr Alfredo Carpineti from the Astroholic Explains podcast to review the impacts and consequences of the COVID-19 global pandemic. We'll be joined by special guests Christopher Jackson from Imperial College London, who had to change his whole work routine, and Divya Persaud from University College London, who is running a digital conference.Presented and produced by Ben Couvin and Alfredo CarpinetiEdited by Ben Couvin; Original music by Harry Couvin
2020-05-121h 02
SciCurious10. Alfredo Carpineti!On a cold December day at the end of 2019, I got on the phone with Dr. Alfredo Carpineti, and was delighted to learn about dinosaurs from an astrophysicist! Alf's plugs Twitter Insta Pride in STEM OutThinkers IFLScience The Astroholic Want to hear from more LGBT people in STEM, then subscribe! And if you want to chat for the podcast, get in touch by one of these methods: Check out the redesigned website Facebook Twitter Insta ...
2020-01-0100 minThe Astroholic ExplainsXS19 - Saturn's Last SoulIn this first Christmas Special, guest-produced by Shaun O'Boyle, we leave our standard format behind and jump into a world of science fiction and horror. This is brought to life by the extraordinary voices of Katy Evans, Dr Suze Kundu, Powder Scofield, and Russell Moul.
2019-12-1708 min
Probably TrueScience (with Dr. Alfredo Carpineti)Being out and proud in the STEM fields can be daunting, but thanks to Grindr, alcohol, and some like-minded scientists, Dr. Alfredo Carpineti found ways to make it easier for everyone (and almost accidentally ended up running Pride In STEM, a charitable trust aiming to do just that). Stories of queer life and even queer-er sex.Always interesting, definitely amusing, Probably True - the repeatedly-award-winning, slightly filthy storytelling project tackling LGBTQ issues in a fun and engaging way.Much like its creator, it is a smutty-but-charming collection of personal misadventures working to make...
2019-10-2830 minThe Astroholic Explains13 - Space Is Full Of Rubbish Feat. Joshua LurieSpace around the Earth is full of junk and one of our listeners asks "what are we doing about that?" To answer's this question we bring in an expert, Joshua Lurie and dive deep into ways to clean up after ourselves in space.
2019-10-0126 minThe Astroholic Explains12 - Inside A Black Hole & Milky Way AddictionsCan we send a probe inside a black hole? And why are we so obsessed with the Milky Way? This and more in this episode of The Astroholic Explains!
2019-09-1714 minThe Astroholic Explains11 - Ancient Star Clusters And A Mystery PlanetIn this episode we talk about globular clusters and how they help us work out the age of stars, and then return to our neighbourhood to investigate the rumour of an undiscovered planet in the Solar System.
2019-09-0320 minThe Astroholic Explains10 - Of Planets and PregnancyThis time we answer two questions from the same person. Laurie asks if other solar systems are likely to be similar to ours, and about the risk of pregnancy in space.
2019-08-2020 minThe Astroholic Explains09 - Headlights On A Spaceship & How Many Aliens Are Out There?In this episode we answer two different but equally important questions. What would the headlights on a spaceship moving at the speed of light look like, and are there actually aliens out there?
2019-08-0628 minThe Astroholic Explains08 - Spin, Stardust, and... Is Chris a Cucumber?In this episode we tackle two more questions from our lovely listeners. The first is about what determines the rotation of planets and the second one focuses on the matter at hand: are we really made from stardust?
2019-07-2215 minThe Astroholic Explains07 - Alfredo VS Fake ScienceIn this episode, we answer two listeners' questions one about Flat-Earthers and one about astrology. Surprisingly, it is not as ranty as you might expect, at least not from Alfredo. No more spoilers, have a listen and get in touch if you have more questions.
2019-07-0924 minThe Astroholic Explains06 - Goodness Gracious Great Balls Of FireAlmost 111 years after the Tunguska Event we answer our first (unexpectedly nepotistic) crowdsourced question about the risk of an asteroid impact, and we try to wrap our heads around just how devastating such events could be!
2019-06-2521 minThe Astroholic Explains05 - Aliens, Celestial bears, and Privileged Blond ChildrenIn this episode we investigate the Goldilocks Zone, the area around a star where planets might have the right conditions for habitability, and we travel through the solar system to look for life outside Earth.
2019-06-1116 minThe Astroholic Explains04 - The End Of The Milky Way As We Know ItThe Milky Way is on a collision course with the closest major galaxy, Andromeda. What's going to happen to our solar system when the two objects finally collide? Find out in this episode of The Astroholic Explains!
2019-05-2813 minThe Astroholic Explains03 - Are There Rainbows On Other Worlds In The Solar System?Where do alien-leprechauns hide their gold? Alfredo explores the colour spectrum, and tells us what rainbows on other worlds could look like.
2019-05-1410 minThe Astroholic Explains02 - Black Holes: Friends or Foes?What's the deal with that mysterious wobbling black hole? And what are the dangers of the supermassive black hole at the heart of our galaxy?
2019-05-0312 minThe Astroholic Explains01 - What's Up (And Down) With Gravity?Chris has a burning question about mass and why the universe doesn't just collapse onto itself. Alfredo gives us the low down on what's up with gravity!
2019-04-2815 min
The Coming Out TapesEpisode 7: Alfredo CarpinetiThis week we talk to Alfredo Carpineti, co-founder of Pride in STEM, an organisation created to help LGBTQ+ people within STEM fields. He tells us about moving to the UK, coming out to his Italian family, and being an openly gay scientist.
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2018-07-2600 min