//podcastplus.net/feed/georges-random-astronomical-object~fdbaaf17 George's Random Astronomical Object is a biweekly astronomy podcast featuring science discussions about astronomical objects at randomly selected locations in the sky. The wide range of topics discussed in the show include stars, variable stars, variable variable stars, supermassive black holes, ultracool dwarf stars, exoplanets, howler monkeys, infrared radiation, acronyms, more acronyms, starbursts, measurements of less than 12 parsecs, jellyfish galaxies, diffuse ionized gas, and general overall weirdness. Sat, 05 Sep 2026 20:32:38 +0000 https://www.randomastronomicalobject.com/object0159.mp3 While amateur astronomers know that Albireo is a very spectacular-looking double star, professional astronomers are more interested in the dynamical complexities of Albireo's two star systems. Mon, 29 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.randomastronomicalobject.com/object0159.mp3 https://www.randomastronomicalobject.com/object0158.mp3 The gamma ray burst GRB 020819 took place in a galaxy containing so much light-obscuring interstellar dust that people initially misidentified which galaxy contained the burst. Mon, 15 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.randomastronomicalobject.com/object0158.mp3 https://www.randomastronomicalobject.com/object0157.mp3 The nearby Sun-like star HD 69830 may have three exoplanets orbiting it, but astronomers seem more focused on trying to understand a hard-to-explain dust disk in the star system. Mon, 01 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.randomastronomicalobject.com/object0157.mp3 https://www.randomastronomicalobject.com/object0156.mp3 Z Ursa Minor belongs to a class of variable stars that occasionally produce puffs of dust, but this is not the weeirdest thing about them. Mon, 18 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.randomastronomicalobject.com/object0156.mp3 https://www.randomastronomicalobject.com/object0155.mp3 The nearby face-on spiral galaxy Messier 101 is one of the most popular galaxies in the sky for astronomers to study, particularly in terms of studying the relative abundances of various elements within the galaxy. Mon, 04 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.randomastronomicalobject.com/object0155.mp3 https://www.randomastronomicalobject.com/object0154.mp3 A 0535+26 is a rather unusual star system called a Be high mass X-ray binary that periodically produces bursts of X-ray emission. Mon, 21 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.randomastronomicalobject.com/object0154.mp3 https://www.randomastronomicalobject.com/object0153.mp3 Hen 2-113 is a rather unusual planetary nebula that formed not when a Sun-like star died but when a large, massive, and extraordinarily hot Wolf-Rayet star blew away its outer hydrogen layers. Mon, 07 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.randomastronomicalobject.com/object0153.mp3 https://www.randomastronomicalobject.com/object0152.mp3 The quasar PKS 2126-158 has been popular to observe because astronomers can see many different things between the quasar and Earth, including an entire cluster of galaxies, that are absorbing light from the quasar. Mon, 23 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.randomastronomicalobject.com/object0152.mp3 https://www.randomastronomicalobject.com/object0151.mp3 Beta Ceti is a relatively close giant star where helium fusion has been triggered in its core, but it's a bit unusual compared to other stars that have reached this stage in their evolution. Mon, 09 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.randomastronomicalobject.com/object0151.mp3 https://www.randomastronomicalobject.com/object0150.mp3 Wolf 1069 is another nearby red dwarf with an exoplanet, but this time, the exoplanet is more likely to harbor life than other nearby red dwarfs with exoplanets that I may have discussed in previous episodes. Mon, 26 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.randomastronomicalobject.com/object0150.mp3