Site • RSS • Apple PodcastsDescription (podcaster-provided):
Do you ever feel dizzy when you think about the incomprehensible scale of space? We call that feeling Cosmic Vertigo. Welcome to a head-spinning conversation between two friends about the sparkly -- and not so sparkly -- stuff in the sky.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Astronomy conversations • Space sounds/sonification guessing • Black holes, fast radio bursts, dark energy, cosmic extremes • Telescopes/observatories and space agencies • Space junk and exploration history (Apollo, eclipses) • Indigenous sky stories and STEMM pathwaysThis podcast is a conversational astronomy show that leans into the sense of awe—and occasional unease—that can come from thinking about space at its largest and strangest scales. Across the episodes, the hosts blend friendly banter with explanations of major ideas in astronomy and cosmology, often using vivid comparisons to make extreme concepts graspable. Recurring topics include black holes and how they’re imaged, the nature of “empty” space, and cosmic extremes such as temperature, size, density, and speed. There’s also attention to mysterious transient phenomena, including brief but powerful signals detected by telescopes, framed as scientific whodunnits that highlight what researchers know and what remains uncertain.
The podcast frequently connects space science to the tools and institutions that make it possible, from large observatories and radio telescope networks to national space programs, as well as the practical and ethical complications that come with them. Another throughline is the human side of STEMM: the paths people take into science, the barriers they encounter, and the role of community, mentorship, and representation—particularly in an Australian context and with perspectives from Indigenous astronomy and storytelling.
Alongside longer discussions and guest interviews with astronomers and other experts, the feed includes short, playful segments built around “space sounds” and sonification, using audio clips from space missions and datasets as a jumping-off point for learning and guessing. It also features narrative, moment-by-moment storytelling about milestone spaceflight, especially the Apollo 11 Moon landing and related observing events like solar eclipses.
