Dog Stars

Mr Max and Chris are back out for an evening walk in the Sun, rejoicing in the nearly once-in-a-lifetime view of the aurorae that much of the world enjoyed last week. We find out what causes the Nor…

Mr Max and Chris are back out under surprisingly wintery skies. We check in on our old friend Betelgeuse, follow a new friend for a while with #nobarking, and talk about why you need goats in your c…

On a cloudy damp evening in Oxford, Chris and Mr Max are braving the weather. Max is keen on a jam jar, while Chris tells us the story of world’s greatest radio astronomer, Grote Reber. Missiles and …

On a clear February night, Mr Max is heading for home after visiting Bread Corner. Meanwhile, Chris picks on his least favourite constellation, Gemini. The twins take a prominent place in the winter…

This episode is dedicated to a winter wonder, the Orion Nebula. Learn about Chris' favourite object as we hear how conditions in this nearby stellar nursery may have given us a clue to the start of …

It's Christmas, and the International Space Station will be paying us a festive visit. Mr Max is enjoying festive pavement treats, Chris tells us a Christmas story about the power of doing very litt…

Chris and Mr Max are out under a beautifully clear winter sky, looking at Jupiter and talking about its enormous (but shrinking) red spot. New results from the Juno spacecraft (https://www.scientific…

Chris and Mr Max are out under autumn skies. Chris talks about the special stars of the Great Square of Pegasus, which is not Great or even a square. We wonder if the Moon illusion applies to flying …

Chris and Mr Max are back, enjoying dark skies, freshly cut grass and the splendours of Saturn. The pair find out why lunar conspiracy nuts should pay attention to Saturn's rings, invent a new paint …

Mr Max and Chris are up late following a lunar landing, and enjoying a quiet, starry sky. Find out what an eagle is doing with a harp, why aliens shouldn't exist around brilliant Vega, and the ultima…

Chris is in Chicago, but still finds time for a walk with the adorable (and well behaved) Bowie. As the trip is to the Zooniverse team meeting, Bowie, Chris and his colleague Sam thought you'd like t…

Chris and Mr Max are up in the fields, ignoring clouds and looking forward to the Perseid meteor shower which peaks on the 11th, 12th and 13th August. The pesky Moon is out of the way, so it's a good…

Chris and Mr Max are back under a starry sky. The search for the shin bone continues, a crunchy substitute is found, and we consider the summer constellation of Hercules - the hero with the flailing …

Chris and Mr Max are back pounding the sweltering streets of Oxford, enjoying a lovely view of the Moon in the twilight sky. Find out what links Mare Serenitatis - the sea of serenity - with Daft Pun…

An unusual episode of Dog Stars sees Chris and Mr Max out before sunset. The most exciting thing is the possibility of treats, but we also talk about eerie Noctilucent - night-shining - clouds, visib…

Chris and Mr Max are out on a lovely May evening, learning how to find the constellation of Virgo and its brilliant star, Spica. Find out what's special about this star, where the Milky Way is headin…

The nearly full Moon has Chris thinking about Mare Crisium, our neighbour's Sea of Crises. We cover why it was nearly named after Britain, how high resolution images solved a mystery created by a So…

Another cloudy night in Oxford finds Chris and Mr Max in reflective mood. Join the pair on an evening ramble, and learn about the brilliant star Arcturus, why wine is dangerous and how the Chicago Wo…

Chris isn't disheartened by a sucker zone, and Mr Max is on the trail of the missing bone. Meanwhile we talk about meteors, with the first decent shower of the year due this weekend, and learn how t…

Mr Max and Chris are out in blustery Oxford, looking at the ancient constellation of Leo, the lion. We find the sky's Sickle, find our place in and the galaxy and think about looking at the distant …