Splashdown: Recent Episodes
Plateau Astro
A weekly 15-minute podcast about what will be visible in the sky for the week, plus interviews with Montréal artists, astronomers, and scientists about space.
Early on Christmas morning, the James Webb Space Telescopes successfully launched into space. Just a few hours after launch, I talk with Nathalie Ouellette to get her thoughts on the experience.
Nathalie is the JWST Outreach Scientist at the University of Montréal collaborating with the Canadian Space Agency.
Nathalie Ouellette
- Follow Nathalie on Twitter
- Nathalie's Website
- Nathalie's iREx profile
Patreon
- Become a monthly supporter
Related Episode
- Listen to Part 1: Pre-Launch Thoughts
On Christmas Eve 2021, the night before the James Webb Space Telescope launched, I talked with Nathalie Ouellette to get her thoughts and feelings about the upcoming historic launch.
Nathalie is the JWST Outreach Scientist at the University of Montréal collaborating with the Canadian Space Agency.
Nathalie Ouellette
- Follow Nathalie on Twitter
- Nathalie's Website
- Nathalie's iREx profile
Patreon
- Become a monthly supporter
Follow-Up Episode
- Listen to Part 2: Post-Launch Thoughts
In September 2021, AJ Korkidakis captured a wonderful photo of the Full Moon rising over the abandoned silos in St Henri. We talk about how he got it.
Astronomy + Urban Landscapes
- @ajmakesthings on Instagram
- PhotoPills App
Patreon
- Become a monthly supporter
Weird Moon at the North Pole
- See the Lunar Eclipse on Nov 19
Music
- "Mémoire affective" by Grandbruit
- "Deus Ex Machina" by Anthony Hansen
- "Partir" by Grandbruit
There's a mystery in the water's of Parc La Fontaine: head to the waters there at night in the summertime, and you'll see lobster-like creatures along the shore. Noemie Sheppard tells us why.
Noemie is a Master's student in Anthony Ricciardi's invasive aquatic ecology lab at McGill University.
La Fontaine Lobsters
- Noemie Sheppard's profile
- Riccardian Lab Twitter account
- Peregrine Falcons of UdeM Facebook page
- Live stream of Peregrine Falcons
- Oh no! Are the Falcons still there?
- Roger Latour 40 years of crayfish update
- Île à la Tortue au Parc Lafontaine by Roger Latour
Patreon
- Become a monthly supporter
Music
- "Reminscence" by Anthony Hansen
- "From Rome" by Brosandi
In 2017, Daphnée Côté-Hallé began 'Les Microcosmes', space-inspired art collages with vintage flair. We talk about her inspirations and how the New Space era we're in might be influencing the art market.
Les Microcosmes
- Exposition: Le Festival de la beauté, until June 8th, 2021
- Les Microcosmes Website
- 'Lune sur mer' artwork
Routine is Good
- May 30, 2020 – SpaceX Demo 2 Launch
- November 15, 2020 - SpaceX Crew 1 Launch
- April 23, 2021 - SpaceX Crew 2 Launch
Music
- "Glacier Music" by HANSA
The Sky This Week
- Moon in the morning (southwest)
- Jupiter and Saturn in the morning (southeast)
- ISS flyovers
- Mon, Mar 29 - 8:03 PM
- Tue, Mar 30 - 8:52 PM
- Wed, Mar 31 - 8:05 PM
- Thu, Apr 1 - 8:54 PM
- Fri, Apr 2 - 8:07 PM
- Sat, Apr 3 - 8:57 PM
- Sun, Apr 4 - 8:09 PM
- Download the free ISS Detector app for alerts when the Space Station flies overhead
Emilie Laflèche
- Emilie's bio on iREx website
- Next Gen RASC
- Follow Next Gen RASC on Facebook
- Follow Next Gen RASC on Instagram
- Follow Next Gen RASC on Twitter
How the Moon got a Boat Unstuck
- article with MAXAR satellite images of Ever Given
The Sky This Week
- Download the free ISS Detector app for iPhone and Android
- Space Station Flyovers
- Mar 22 - 8:43 PM
- Mar 23 - 7:56 PM
- Mar 24 - 8:46 PM
- Mar 25 - 7:58 PM
- Mar 26 - 8:48 PM
- Mar 27 - 8:01 PM
- Mar 28 - 8:50 PM
- Saturday, March 27: nearly Full Moon rises at 5:58 PM
- Sunday, March 28: see the Full Moon rise at Tam Tams at 7:17 PM
Lisa Dang
- Lisa Dang's website
- Follow Lisa Dang on Twitter
Measuring the Earth with a Stick on the Equinox
- My live stream of the Eratosthenes Experiment on the Spring Equinox
- Carl Sagan explaining the Eratosthenes Experiment
Music in this Episode
- ”Four” from Count In by HANSA
When you think of astrophotography, you typically imagine heading outside of the city to take photos in dark skies. And Samer Hobeika does this! But with his company, Zenderfull, he does a lot more.
We talk about taking space photos in an urban environment and the experiences he wants to show people beyond nice photos on social media.
The Sky This Week
- Last week of late sunsets
- Daylight Saving Time kicks in next Sunday (March 14)
- Crescent Moon in the morning (March 8, 9, 10)
- Thin Crescent Moon just after sunset (March 14 - 7:30 PM)
Samer Hobeika, Zenderfull
- Zenderfull.com
- Zenderfull Instagram
- Zenderfull Instagram
- Comet NEOWISE time-lapse
The Pleasure of Prediction
- Find dates where the Moon will appear in interesting positions to things in your environment
- July 21 - 8:25 PM, Moon between smokestacks
- PhotoPills app
- Stellarium
The day NASA's Perseverance rover landed on Mars on February 18th, 2021, Ita Sonnenschein uploaded a wonderful animation of its entry through the Martian atmosphere.
We talk about her art, vaporwave, and how the exciting space era we currently live in will affect her art in the future.
The Sky This Week
- Full Moon on Friday, February 26 and Saturday, February 27 worldwide
- Find what time the Moon will rise in your location
Friday, February 26 – Montréal
- 4:50 PM: Watch Full Moon rise from Belvedere Kondiaronk
- 5:10 PM: Watch Full Moon rise from Jeanne Mance Park
Saturday, February 27 – Montréal
- 6:07 PM: Watch Full Moon rise from Belvedere Kondiaronk
- 6:30 PM: Watch Full Moon rise from Jeanne Mance Park
Ita Sonnenschein
- Watch her Mars Re-Entry animation
- Follow on Instagram (@reality_salad)
- Follow on Twitter (@siivvan)
Popularize Moonrise
- The Moon always looks larger and reddish-orange when it's near the horizon
- The Moon Illusion
- Since 2013, I've been doing an event called "Moonrise" where I show people the Full Moon as it rises over the horizon
- It's beautiful: and it's weird to me that this isn't a thing that humans watch and celebrate every month
NASA's Perseverance rover is landing Thursday, February 18th. Erin Gibbons is a scientist living here in Montréal who will be studying data from the rover and looking for signs of life.
In order for Erin to do this, she must adapt to "Mars Time".
The Sky This Week
- See the Crescent Moon just after sunset
- See the Moon appear beside Mars on Thursday, February 18th
Erin Gibbons
- Follow Erin on Twitter
The Moon Will Look Different
- NASA announced the Artemis missions to return to the Moon
- The Canadian Space Agency announced in December 2020, they will be joining Artemis 2 and 3 to fly around the Moon