Gravothermalizing and Baby Black Holes

Gravothermalizing and Baby Black Holes

Author: Joshua Colwell, Adrienne Dove, and James Cooney December 4, 2025 Duration: 46:48

There's a new funky proposal for small black holes in the early universe, and another potential dark matter candidate. Learn about cannibal stars and much more, together with double trivia and space news with your friendly neighborhood astroquarks.


Ever wondered what it would be like to grab a coffee with a few planetary scientists who can’t help but find the humor in the cosmos? That’s the feeling you get with Walkabout the Galaxy. Hosted by Joshua Colwell, Adrienne Dove, and James Cooney, this isn’t a dry lecture from a distant lecture hall. Instead, it’s a lively, often funny conversation that feels like you’re right there with them, unpacking the universe’s latest headlines. Each episode digs into the newest and most fascinating discoveries in astronomy and space science, but the approach is grounded and genuinely curious. You’ll hear the hosts’ real excitement and occasional friendly debates as they translate complex ideas from recent papers or major missions into stories anyone can connect with. The tone is naturally irreverent, which makes the science stick, and their camaraderie turns each discussion into an engaging journey. Tuning into this podcast means getting a front-row seat to a casual yet deeply informative chat about everything from quirky asteroids to the profound mysteries of distant galaxies, all delivered with a warmth that reminds you why looking up at the stars is so compelling in the first place. It’s a perfect blend of solid science and natural comedy, making the vastness of space feel a little more like home.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Walkabout the Galaxy
Podcast Episodes
Little Plutino Has An Atmosphere and Making Sense of Saturn [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:07
A Plutino, an object that shares Pluto's orbit but which is much smaller than Pluto, appears to have a very thin global atmosphere. We discuss the detection and how such a small body could hold onto even a thin atmospher…
Superkilonova and Artemis II Recap [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:26
Gravitational waves and light combine to reveal what is suspected to be a superkilonova which is much cooler than the name suggests. Cool in the cool way, not the temperature way. Learn about splitting neutron stars and,…
A Whisper of a Hint of Primordial Black Holes plus Earth BLOBs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:48
Gravitational Wave observatory LIGO has seen a signature that looks like the merger of primordial (pre-stellar, big bang (not big band!) era) black holes. If confirmed with future observations, this would tell us a lot a…
Supermassive Black Holes Supersoaking Other Galaxies [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:59
Supermassive black holes can be terrible neighbors. New research shows that their powerful jets of charged particles can shut down star formation in neighboring galaxies within the galaxy cluster, which is just plain rud…
Planetary Nebulae and Active Asteroids Get a Closer Look [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:10
There's always been a fuzzy line between asteroids and comets, and new observations of asteroids in the vicinity of Jupiter provide a hint to the origin of the mysterious active asteroids that look like asteroids but act…
A Dark Universe Unveiled [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:35
Scientists head to the volcanic fields of Iceland to test instruments for the VERITAS mission to Venus, Artemis II is ready for its historic flight to the Moon, and the Dark Energy Survey reveals the distribution of dark…
Crazy Spinners in the Asteroid Belt and S8 Tension [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:21
The amazing discoveries from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory have already started, and the astroquarks take a look at some close to home. Asteroids bigger than a city block spinning in fewer than 5 minutes are just the beg…
Cosmic Rays from Everywhere and Stringy Ancient Galaxies [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:39
The Parker Solar Probe flies through the Sun's corona, MAVEN has gone silent, and new data shed light on the origins of cosmic rays. JWST's observations of ancient galaxies reveal odd shapes that may be connected to dark…
Interstellar Star Scars and Poop on Mars [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:58
We explore the dining and drinking choices for astronauts, complex chemicals discovered in asteroid samples, and untangling the web of scars in the local interstellar cloud to reveal past encounters of the Sun with some…