The Night Sky!

Stuff we will see: It's all about the Milkyway in August (just look up!)

Stuff we won't see: Southern Hemisphere misses out on the Perseid meteor shower (lucky you if you're in the north!)

Planets: Jupiter and Venus get close and personal in the morning of the 12th & 13th August. Something something optics, physics.

Constellation of the Month: Norma - The Set Square.

Beth gets constellation bias thinking about Norma and it's lack of greek mythology, but there's something mysterious hiding out there just beyond our view. called "the great attractor."

Star Stories: Earth & it's many meanings to many peoples.

Space Fail of the Month: An Artemis Rocket Booster went BOOM!

Space Picture of the Month:

- Beth - NASA Apollo mission patches https://particle.scitech.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/7995383large-1.jpg

- Leon - Solid Rocket Boosters

https://particle.scitech.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/boosterstar.png

Space Flight Focus: Gilmore Space - Eris 1 (Recorded before it launched and will feature more in our September episode)

More space stuff:

https://www.scitech.org.au/explore/the-sky-tonight/

Science news from WA:

WA science. Done different. | Particle

Beth and Leon are back with your monthly galaxy guide and a cracking mix of cosmic banter, dodgy Latin puns, and eyebrow raising Aussie aerospace news recorded at SciTech on Whadjuk Noongar land.

In this episode:

What's Up This Month? [01:00] Beth and Leon spin left for winter skies, chasing the Milky Way across the southeast and spotting Venus on your morning coffee run.

Constellation of the Month: [10:00] Tucked between showier neighbours, Lupus isn’t the flashiest, but it’s got myth, mystery, and a surprise link to Harry Potter. No, really.

Solstice Shenanigans [20:00] The 21st brings the darkest day of the year (aka perfect stargazing). Beth explains how to track the Sun with your shadow—and why Esperance has the real Stonehenge.

Spaceflight Focus: [30:00] Australia’s first homegrown orbital rocket launch… didn’t quite launch. Beth and Leon unpack the Gilmore Space Vegemite-fuelled debacle and remind us that nobody died, so it’s fine to laugh. A little.