Radio Cosmos: a podcast journey into Radio Astronomy

Impact
Radio Cosmos takes listeners to the far reaches of our Universe, exploring some of the most fundamental scientific questions of our time.

Beginning in January 2025, SKACH broadcast the first season of its podcast series Radio Cosmos, available on its website, on streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts and through some university portals in Switzerland.

The idea for the series came about after astrophysicists in the French speaking region of Switzerland noted that there were not many outreach materials in French available  to try to inspire the next-generation of budding astronomers and cosmologists.

Radio Cosmos explores how radio astronomy, particularly the SKAO, is transforming our understanding of the cosmos. It is also a deep dive into the latest technology developments on Earth – investigating how artificial intelligence, supercomputing and the biggest radio telescope ever constructed will revolutionize astronomy. It takes listeners back in time to the formation of the first stars and galaxies, discover the science behind super massive black holes and hear the latest in the search for extra-terrestrial life.

Image of a radio in front of a spiral galaxy titled "radio cosmos".

We are thrilled that our radio astronomy series has been downloaded more than 1500 times, which is very successful for new, non-English language podcasts. Our hosts, Mark Sargent and Alexandra Lagutova were passionate and inspiring, really bringing the cosmos and the work of the SKAO to life.

Tanya PetersenHead of Outreach and Communications at SKACH

The four episodes are:

  1. Listening to the Universe: how radio astronomy is transforming our understanding of the cosmos – from ‘star noise ‘ picked up by early radio telescopes to the brand new generation of instruments being developed today which can help us ‘see’ into the furthest reaches of the  universe.

  2. Aliens and Exoplanets: asking, is there life beyond our planet and where are we looking for it?

  3. Supermassive black holes: what exactly are supermassive black holes and why are they important, discussing these extraordinary objects which can be over a million to a billion times more massive than our sun, and in particular the one at the centre of our own galaxy. 

  4. Dark and Quiet Skies: since the 1950’s, thousands of satellites have been launched into our skies, many remaining there long after their working life is over. This episode explores plans to reduce the quantity of space debris orbiting the Earth, and asks why dark and quiet skies are essential for future astronomical research.