This is the recording of our launch event for the Australian Highlight series, which took place at SciTech’s Chevron Theatre on 8 Feb, 2025 in front of a live audience.
See Natasha's radio sky image.
Did you know Australia leads the world in the field of radio astronomy, and is the home to some of the biggest discoveries?
The newest mystery from space is called a Long Period Transient.
Yes, the name is uninspiring, but hearing any astronomer or quantum physicist talk about it illuminates the exciting possibilities it opens up for our understanding of the Universe and makes us ask, is anything really impossible?
Perth-resident behind the 2022 discovery, Prof Natasha Hurley-Walker, will reveal the roller-coaster journey that brought her here: forging opportunities and following a hunch after multiple set-backs and disparagement from established modes of thinking.
The world-leading mind for long period transients, Natasha has also led a project to make the best radio-image of our sky. Using the Murchison Widefield Array, a telescope operated by an international consortium and located in Western Australia, she produced an iridescent image that illuminates what had gone unseen in our own galaxy.
Will we convince comedian Zeppo that Long Period Transients are the most exciting thing in our sky?
Hosted by Rachel Rayner, Science Explainer, who sounds more nervous than usual.
Links for more:
Highlight article and event photos
About the GLEAM image (also the episode picture)
The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA)
Natasha's discovery paper for Long Period Transients (her second paper, and her third paper).
Follow Zeppo to find out where they're performing next
Credits
Producer: Rachel Rayner, Science Explainer
Guests: Natasha Hurley-Walker, Zeppo
Venue: SciTech, Perth
Tech: Melody Rachel, Luke Morris
Music: Michelle Cashman
Editing: Graham Hunt
Made possible through Meta Australia Journalism Fund, administered by the Walkley Foundation, with support from Comedy Victoria.
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