The Jodcast
Guest Episode Topic
Rob Adam Nov 2018 Extra Development of the Square Kilometre Array and the future of African astronomy
Buzz Aldrin Apr Extra 2015 Research and career of Buzz Aldrin
Stephen Baxter Mar Extra 2017 Science and science fiction
Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell Jun 2007 Discovery of pulsars ,
Nov 2017 Extra Advocating for women in science
Frank Close Dec Extra 2015 The life and research of Bruno Pontecorvo
Brian Cox Jan Extra 2011 Neutrino astronomy
Bernie Fanaroff Nov 2018 Extra Development of the Square Kilometre Array and the future of African astronomy
Lucie Green Feb 2016 The Solar Orbiter satellite
Chris Lintott Various Galaxy Zoo and the Zooniverse project
Sir Bernard Lovell Feb 2007 Origins of Jodrell Bank Observatory
Sep-Oct 2007 An audience with Sir Bernard Lovell
Jul Extra 2009 Lead-up to the 1969 Moon landing
Katie Mack Feb 2019 Cosmology and science communication
Ian Morison May 2017 Professional radio astronomy/Amateur optical astronomy
Bobby Seagull Dec 2019 Mathematics in astronomy and its advocacy among the public
Jill Tarter Jan 2015 Various SETI
Matt Taylor Apr Extra 2015 Philae spacecraft and scientific findings of the Rosetta Mission
Feb 2016 The end of the Rosetta Mission and public scientific communication
Jess Wade TBC Science engagement and representation of women in science
Notable interviews
Interviews with astronomers external to Manchester University are a regular feature on the Jodcast , and cover a diverse range of astronomical and astrophysical topics . Prominent figures in astronomy and astrophysics have often appeared as guests on the Jodcast including : Sir Bernard Lovell , a key figure in the establishment of Jodrell Bank Observatory ; discoverer of pulsars , Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell ; and astronaut , Buzz Aldrin . A list of notable Jodcast interviews is provided below .
The Jodcast is a bimonthly podcast created by astronomers at Jodrell Bank Center for Astrophysics, University of Manchester in Manchester, England. It debuted in January 2006, aiming to inspire and inform the public about astronomy and related sciences, to excite young people with the latest astronomy research results, to motivate students to pursue careers in science, and to dispel stereotypes of scientists as incomprehensible and unapproachable. As of 2015, the Jodcast is one of the UK's longest-running regular astronomy podcasts at over 275 episodes and interacts with its audience via a presence on various social media outlets. The Jodcast provides insight into up-to-date astronomical and astrophysical research via regular interviews with researchers from institutions worldwide, as well as with its own staff at the University of Manchester. Its regular Night's Sky segment provides an overview of sights in Northern and Southern hemisphere's night skies for amateur astronomers on a month-by-month basis, and it also regularly interacts with listeners and answers questions related to astronomy and astrophysics during its monthly Ask an Astronomer segments. The Jodcast was co-founded by previous Manchester students Stuart Lowe, Nick Rattenbury and David Ault in 2006. Its current executive producers are Manchester PhD students Tiaan Bezuidenhout, Fiona Porter, and Michael Wright. Current and previous episodes of the Jodcast may be downloaded via its own website and RSS feeds, and from iTunes. The Jodcast is also regularly collated and integrated into various Internet-based astronomy radio shows. All audio productions of The Jodcast are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 England and Wales Licence.