Small bodies will hit the big time next year; a sample return from asteroid Bennu and the launch of both the DART and Lucy missions could unravel puzzles about the formation of the solar system, as well teach us how to deflect any asteroids headed our way. Meanwhile, the Juno mission to Jupiter has shown us its hard-to-study poles, where swirling gas and magnetic fields rule. On Earth, warmer temperatures threaten peat bog biodiversity and the structure of the Arctic. And massive wildfires have sent soot circling the globe. Assistant Producer Sarah Derouin discusses the Arctic Report Card. They’re all highlights from the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

Guests:

  • Steve LevinProject Scientist for NASA’s Juno mission

  • Christopher FernandezResearch associate, Department of Forestry, Michigan State University

  • Mike FrommMeteorologist, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

  • Nancy Chabot  Planetary scientist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory and DART mission coordination lead

  • Tom Statler Program scientist on the Lucy mission in the planetary science division and planetary defense coordination office at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Descripción en español

Segments:
Part 1: Steve Levin / Juno Mission
Part 2: Christopher Fernandez / Peat Bogs
Part 3: Arctic Report Card
Part 4: Mike Fromm / Pyrocumulonimbus Clouds
Part 5: Chabot & Statler / Asteroid Missions

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2026 Webby Award Nominee
for our three part series on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

Big Picture Science is an immersive radio show and podcast that reveals the unexpected connections in science.

Our Skeptic Check episodes take a critical look at extraordinary science claims and pseudoscience.

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Molly Bentley Executive Producer and Co-Host, Big Picture Science  

Seth Shostak Producer and Co-Host, Big Picture Science
Senior Astronomer, SETI Institute

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