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astro[sound]bites

astrosoundbites
Gravitational Waves
Astrophysics
Supernovae
Cosmology
Black Holes
Exoplanets
Cosmic Microwave Background
High-Redshift Quasars
Astrobiology
Indigenous Astronomy
Galaxies
Neutrinos
Astronomy
Dark Matter
Type 1A Supernovae
Massive Stars
JWST (james Webb Space Telescope)
Planet Formation
LIGO
Galaxy Formation

Astrobites for your ears. Three grad students bring you cutting-edge research findings in astronomy and connect the dots between diverse subfields.

PublishesMonthlyEpisodes133Founded7 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
AstronomyPhysicsScience

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Latest Episodes

In this episode, Shashank and Cormac introduce our new ASB cohost Vivasvaan! Vivasvaan gives us a broad strokes overview of what galaxy mergers are and why astronomers love to study them while giving us a glimpse into his research involving galaxy me... more

In this episode, Shashank, Cole and Cormac take a look at the periodic side of time-domain astronomy through the famed, fabled Fourier transform. Cole entreats us to the time lags in blazars and Cormac gives us a weather update on a brown dwarf. Alon... more

In this episode, we take a break from our usual astronomical antics to reflect on sustainability in the cosmos. Cormac, Cole and Shashank explore how the Universe manages to recycle material across all scales, from pepping up prostrated pulsars to cl... more

We’ve known about the existence of galaxies for about a hundred years, but how well do we actually know the extragalactic universe? In today’s episode, we dive deep on the earliest galaxies in the universe. Sanika covers her first bite on paradoxical... more

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Recent Guests

Vivasvaan Adityaraj
First-year PhD student researching galaxy mergers
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Episode: Episode 123: Making Mergers Massive
Isabella Oakes
Guest writer for astro bites
astro bites (guest author)
Episode: Episode 116: Love’s Gonna Get you killed, but Tide’s gonna be the death of you
Matthias Bernini-Perron
Colleague in Heidelberg; author of a guest astro bite
Heidelberg group, University of Heidelberg
Episode: Episode 114: A World of Disc-overy
Olivier Bernet
First author on a Nature Open Access astro bite
Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, University of Toulouse
Episode: Episode 114: A World of Disc-overy
Leon Huynh
Lead author of a simulation video referenced in the episode
University of Heidelberg
Episode: Episode 114: A World of Disc-overy
Laura Ventura
Head of Communications at ESO in Chile
European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Episode: Episode 112.5: Extremely Looming Trouble?
Kirsten Bolley
NASA Sagan Fellow at Carnegie Earth and Planets Laboratory, researching elemental abundances' impact on planet formation
Carnegie Earth and Planets Laboratory
Episode: Episode 100: Be There or Be Ten Squared
Will Saunders
Planetary scientist at NASA Langley Research Center, studying upper atmospheres of planets
NASA Langley Research Center
Episode: Episode 100: Be There or Be Ten Squared
Duane Hamacher
Associate Professor of Cultural Astronomy
University of Melbourne
Episode: Episode 86: Indigenous Astronomy Part II - Science of the First Astronomers

Hosts

Shashank Dalakia
Host of astro[sound]bites; early-career researcher often guiding episode discussions.
Cole Meldorf
Co-host focused on explaining concepts clearly and steering conversations.
Cormac Larkin
Co-host, PhD student; guides discussion on massive stars, clusters, and related topics.
Lucia Heerer
Co-host providing guest perspectives and peer-reviewed insights on astro topics.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 23 ratings
  • American male overrides the interesting educated Europeans.

    I really enjoy this show—it’s insightful and engaging. However, the dynamic is disrupted by one particularly loud and overly talkative American male host. His tendency to dominate the conversation can make it difficult to hear and appreciate the perspectives of the other educated hosts. A more balanced discussion would make the show even better.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    SarahMertz
    Australiaa year ago
  • I enjoy and learn from every episode

    Fabulous podcast!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    anna555631
    United States4 years ago
  • Nice summaries of recent papers. Good supplement to the web site.

    Podcast Addict
    5
    cj99
    6 years ago
  • Geeky and wonderful

    Easily digestible bits of knowledge around various astrophysical and cosmological topics. Fun to listen to and perfect length. I also really enjoy the hosts—a group of enthusiastic grad students who bring a lot of (sometimes eye-rolling) humor to their topics. Keep up the great work!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Nyncca
    United States7 years ago
  • Latest research on Astronomy

    Following on from the Daily Astrobites, reviews of current astronomical reasearch written by graduates comes astro (sound) bites. Each episode reviews three recently published research papers. The team deliver an enthusiastic and passionate review, combining the research to generate insights for the listener. Excellent and well worth a listen, a ‘must’ for the commute.

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    JonathanAstro
    United Kingdom7 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Audience finds the paper-by-paper format valuable for staying current with research.
Fans appreciate the educational angle and the hosts' enthusiasm and humor.
Listeners describe the show as insightful and engaging with practical astronomy insights.
Listener feedback notes strong depth but calls for more balanced host dynamics.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Episode 123: Making Mergers Massive
Q: Nice. I see the word merger comes up a lot. So for the benefit of our audience, can you explain exactly what you mean when you say merger?
A merger, in astronomy, generally refers to two astronomical objects coming together and interacting gravitationally, with galaxies typically being the focus, where they interact, morph, and alter each other's shapes and properties before possibly coalescing into a single post-merger system.
Episode 109: Big, Small and In-Between
Q: How do we actually detect intermediate mass black holes?
Indirect methods are key: astrometry tracks stellar motions to infer a massive unseen object, while gravitational-wave signatures from mergers or inspirals provide mass estimates when the system is active or in an appropriate merger scenario.
Episode 119: Gravitational Vibes
Q: What are you most excited about as you join astrosoundbites?
I am excited to blend the physics with astronomy and to find a good midpoint between data analysis and astronomical context, expanding the show's scope beyond just the physics details.
Episode 108: 2000 Meters Under The Mediterranean
Q: How does neutrino detection work? And what big neutrino telescopes do we currently have?
Neutrino detection relies on huge volumes of matter like ice or water that neutrinos can interact with, and big telescopes include IceCube and KM3NeT.
Episode 108: 2000 Meters Under The Mediterranean
Q: Shashank, can you tell us what neutrino astrophysics hopes to do?
Neutrino astrophysics aims to trace cosmic rays to their sources, utilizing the trajectory of emitted neutrinos.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
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Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About astro[sound]bites

What is astro[sound]bites about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Three astronomy graduate students host a tight-knit discussions-driven show that breaks down current research papers across subfields. Episodes typically feature three bite-sized conversations per topic, covering time-domain astronomy, gravitational waves, disk physics, galaxy formation, and more, with practical notes on instrumentation, data analysis, and observational challenges. The format blends clear explanations, humor, and personal anecdotes to make advanced topics approachable for fellow grad students and curious science fans. A standout aspect is the educational, multi-paper format delivered by a consistent trio, often linking theory to upcoming facilities and surveys while keeping the pace lively and accessible for a broad audienc... more

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How many subscribers and views does astro[sound]bites have?

To see how many followers or subscribers astro[sound]bites has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to astro[sound]bites?

These podcasts share a similar audience with astro[sound]bites:

1. StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson

How many episodes of astro[sound]bites are there?

astro[sound]bites launched 7 years ago and published 133 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

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What guests have appeared on astro[sound]bites?

Recent guests on astro[sound]bites include:

1. Vivasvaan Adityaraj
2. Isabella Oakes
3. Matthias Bernini-Perron
4. Olivier Bernet
5. Leon Huynh
6. Laura Ventura
7. Kirsten Bolley
8. Will Saunders

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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