Space fans around the globe are invited to join co-hosts Padi Boyd and Jacob Pinter for the latest episode of NASA's official "Curious Universe" podcast as they discuss humankind's connection to our neighborhood class G star.
This first installment of the online show's seventh season is titled "The Sun, Our Star" and is part of a six-part "Sun and Eclipse" podcast miniseries that endeavors to show how solar science is flourishing in 2024.
There's a lot to talk about. The miniseries discusses how the sun will reach its stormy solar maximum this year, for example, and shows how citizen scientists are preparing for the epic April 8 total solar eclipse. It also reveals how NASA shields astronauts and spacecraft from violent solar outbursts, and it takes listeners on a pioneering mission to brush up against the sun's atmosphere.
Related: Total solar eclipse 2024: How and where to watch online for free
Here's a description of this heliocentric episode:
"The sun is our closest star. Billions of years ago, it shaped the formation of our home planet and the beginning of life on Earth. Today, it provides the heat and energy that powers our civilization, but it can also disrupt our technology and spacecraft through explosive outbursts of radiation. Join NASA sun scientist Joe Westlake on a journey from the surface of Earth to the sun’s core to learn how intricately we're connected to our star and the progress we've made unraveling its mysteries. This is episode one of the Sun and Eclipse series from NASA's 'Curious Universe,' an official NASA podcast."
Conceived for the "first-time space explorer" and presented by NASA astrophysicist Padi Boyd using layperson's terminology for those unfamiliar with the agency's ongoing missions, "Curious Universe" debuted back in March of 2020 with a variety of programming topics, from spacesuit design to exoplanet hunting to Mars probes.
"Curious Universe" is written and produced by NASA's audio team, headquartered at the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. New episodes of season seven post Tuesday mornings through Apr. 23.
Space fans interested in other episodes from this award-winning science podcast series can visit the channel's official site here, or check it out on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and SoundCloud.
