Episodes

  • What We Know About Jupiter's Great Red Spot

    What We Know About Jupiter's Great Red Spot
    Sep 21 2026
    Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a vast, persistent storm observed across centuries, yet important questions remain. Explore what spacecraft and telescopes reveal about its winds, depth, color and changing size. Inside this episode: - A storm without solid ground - How large is it - The winds around the edge - How deep does it go - Why is it red Sources include NASA, Juno results offer first 3D view, JPL, Measuring the Gravity of Jupiter's Great Red Spot, and NASA, Hubble watches the Great Red Spot. This episode is a researched narrative summary. Historical records may be incomplete, translated differently, or interpreted differently by scholars. We distinguish documented facts, estimates, disputed interpretations, and later stories where material. Corrections are logged and incorporated into future editions. Follow Solar System Field Notes for more researched stories about the evidence that reveals our solar system.
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    11 mins
  • Why Comets Grow Tails Near the Sun

    Why Comets Grow Tails Near the Sun
    Sep 21 2026
    A comet develops its bright coma and tails as sunlight warms volatile material near the Sun. Follow the dust and ionized gas to see why the two tails behave differently and point in different directions. Inside this episode: - The nucleus - The coma - Two main tails - Sunlight pushes dust - The solar wind shapes the ion tail Sources include NASA, Comet Facts and NASA, Basics of Space Flight. This episode is a researched narrative summary. Historical records may be incomplete, translated differently, or interpreted differently by scholars. We distinguish documented facts, estimates, disputed interpretations, and later stories where material. Corrections are logged and incorporated into future editions. Follow Solar System Field Notes for more researched stories about the evidence that reveals our solar system.
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    10 mins
  • How We Know Europa Has an Ocean Beneath Its Ice

    How We Know Europa Has an Ocean Beneath Its Ice
    Sep 21 2026
    Europa's hidden ocean cannot be photographed directly, but several lines of evidence point beneath the ice. Explore the magnetic measurements, surface geology and physical models behind the ocean hypothesis. Inside this episode: - A moon covered in clues - Jupiter keeps squeezing europa - The magnetic signature - What gravity and shape add - Chaos terrain and moving ice Sources include NASA, Induced Magnetic Field from Europa's Subsurface Ocean, USGS, Does Europa have a subsurface ocean?, and NASA, Europa Ocean. This episode is a researched narrative summary. Historical records may be incomplete, translated differently, or interpreted differently by scholars. We distinguish documented facts, estimates, disputed interpretations, and later stories where material. Corrections are logged and incorporated into future editions. Follow Solar System Field Notes for more researched stories about the evidence that reveals our solar system.
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    10 mins
  • How Scientists Learn What Asteroids Are Made Of

    How Scientists Learn What Asteroids Are Made Of
    Sep 20 2026
    This episode explores Spectra, meteorites, spacecraft measurements and the limits of remote interpretation. The story keeps the mechanisms clear and the research grounded for a casual listener. Inside this episode: - Sunlight as a chemical clue - Brightness, color, and rotation - Mass and density - Radar and radio - Meteorites in the lab Sources include NASA Science, Asteroid Facts, NASA Dawn mission science, and NASA Johnson Space Center, meteorite collection. This episode is a researched narrative summary. Historical records may be incomplete, translated differently, or interpreted differently by scholars. We distinguish documented facts, estimates, disputed interpretations, and later stories where material. Corrections are logged and incorporated into future editions. Follow Solar System Field Notes for more researched stories about the evidence that reveals our solar system.
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    11 mins
  • How Mars Preserves Ancient River Evidence

    How Mars Preserves Ancient River Evidence
    Sep 20 2026
    This episode explores Channels, deltas, minerals and sedimentary structures that record past flowing water. The story keeps the mechanisms clear and the research grounded for a casual listener. Inside this episode: - Shapes seen from orbit - When a river enters a lake - Layers as a flow record - Stones shaped by transport - Minerals that remember water Sources include NASA Science, delta-like fan and persistent rivers, NASA Mars 2020 mission, and NASA Perseverance science highlights. This episode is a researched narrative summary. Historical records may be incomplete, translated differently, or interpreted differently by scholars. We distinguish documented facts, estimates, disputed interpretations, and later stories where material. Corrections are logged and incorporated into future editions. Follow Solar System Field Notes for more researched stories about the evidence that reveals our solar system.
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    11 mins
  • What Saturn's Rings Are Made Of

    What Saturn's Rings Are Made Of
    Sep 20 2026
    This episode explores Ring particles, gaps, orbital structure and how observations reveal their composition. The story keeps the mechanisms clear and the research grounded for a casual listener. Inside this episode: - Ice in orbit - A wide disk that is very thin - Gaps are not always empty - How light reveals particles - The e ring and enceladus Sources include NASA Cassini, Rings Overview, NASA Cassini FAQ, and NASA Cassini Rings. This episode is a researched narrative summary. Historical records may be incomplete, translated differently, or interpreted differently by scholars. We distinguish documented facts, estimates, disputed interpretations, and later stories where material. Corrections are logged and incorporated into future editions. Follow Solar System Field Notes for more researched stories about the evidence that reveals our solar system.
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    10 mins
  • Why Venus Has Such a Thick Atmosphere

    Why Venus Has Such a Thick Atmosphere
    Sep 20 2026
    This episode explores Composition, pressure, greenhouse warming and the evidence gathered by spacecraft and telescopes. The story keeps the mechanisms clear and the research grounded for a casual listener. Inside this episode: - What is there now - Rocky planets release gas - The water question - A runaway greenhouse - Why the gas stays Sources include NASA Science, Venus Facts, NASA, DAVINCI mission science, and NASA, Magellan mission. This episode is a researched narrative summary. Historical records may be incomplete, translated differently, or interpreted differently by scholars. We distinguish documented facts, estimates, disputed interpretations, and later stories where material. Corrections are logged and incorporated into future editions. Follow Solar System Field Notes for more researched stories about the evidence that reveals our solar system.
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    11 mins