Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / CDU STEM Pathways Professor Carla Eisemburg says the best place IN THE WORLD to study Pluto this weekend is in Katherine...and NASA will be there!

Transcript

CDU STEM Pathways Professor Carla Eisemburg says the best place IN THE WORLD to study Pluto this weekend is in Katherine...and NASA will be there! · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now these Sunday students from Charles Darwin University are going
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: to be joining a team of NASA funded scientists and
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: astronomers to observe Pluto pass in front of a distant
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: star in Catherine.
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: Now joining me on the line.
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: To tell us a little bit more about exactly what's
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: going to be happening is stem Pathway's professor Karla Eisenberg.
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Carla. Good morning, Carla.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: Tell us exactly what's going to be happening well on
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Sunday in Catherine.
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  Speaker 3: So we have this team of NASA scientists coming all
• 0:35
  Speaker 3: around the world to do some measurements of Pluto. And
• 0:39
  Speaker 3: that's like you said, it's because of what they call
• 0:41
  Speaker 3: the occultation night, when there is the planets between Earth
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  Speaker 3: and a very bright stuff and the best place on
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  Speaker 3: Earth to see this is going to be Catherine.
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  Speaker 4: Next week.
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  Speaker 3: You won't have fifteen minutes to do it properly to
• 0:56
  Speaker 3: have those measurements then, so they have to practice and
• 0:58
  Speaker 3: train with the big team to make sure they have
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: everything in play. So on Sunday will be their first
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  Speaker 3: training night, and they are so awesome that they actually
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  Speaker 3: open their training nights for everybody to want to have
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  Speaker 3: a look. They're going to talk about about Pluto, about
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  Speaker 3: what they're doing here, and also the people will be
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  Speaker 3: welcome to have a look at them setting up the
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  Speaker 3: telescopes and when everything is sad, they're going to they
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  Speaker 3: promise they're going to show some really cool stars and
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  Speaker 3: planets to the telescope.
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  Speaker 2: How awesome.
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  Speaker 1: So Cala Catherine, of all places around the world, is
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: going to be the best location to see this.
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  Speaker 3: That's right, And we are really liking in Artern, Australia
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  Speaker 3: because I haven't been this job for since twenty nineteen.
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  Speaker 3: The second time now be comes here, it's because this
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  Speaker 3: kind of event usually have the best places around the equator,
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  Speaker 3: so it doesn't work if it's in other places, in
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  Speaker 3: a lot of other places, and that one doesn't work
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  Speaker 3: in the sea.
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  Speaker 4: So it's the second time they're coming over.
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  Speaker 3: That time wasn't Pennet Creek, And the time's in Catherine,
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  Speaker 3: the best place in the whole world to see I always.
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  Speaker 1: Reckon, you know, it does feel like the stars are
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  Speaker 1: brighter and that you can think see things much brighter
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  Speaker 1: in the sky the more regional you go. But I
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  Speaker 1: just thought that was me thinking that there wasn't as
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  Speaker 1: much pollution around the place.
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  Speaker 4: Oh, I think that is the case.
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  Speaker 3: I think for this one, we were just like you
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  Speaker 3: that the Pluto and the stars are all alive. Literally
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  Speaker 3: they started a line for Catherine next week.
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  Speaker 2: I love it.
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  Speaker 4: Specific for a point.
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  Speaker 2: Of view, Yeah, how wonderful, so Calor.
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  Speaker 1: Obviously you've got the NASA funded scientists and astronomers that
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: are going to be in Catherine.
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  Speaker 2: How many are we talking? How many people are going
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  Speaker 2: to be there?
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  Speaker 1: Oh?
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  Speaker 3: I think we had a lot of a thirty astronomers
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  Speaker 3: coming from mostly the US and other.
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  Speaker 4: Places of US Tria. But we also have five.
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  Speaker 3: CD students that have been recruited they're doing engineering, doing
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  Speaker 3: research and engineering.
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  Speaker 4: IT and science to join the team and be part
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  Speaker 4: of the research.
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  Speaker 3: And I think it's such an awesome opportunity for them
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  Speaker 3: to learn new SKUs and interact with this really cool scientist.
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  Speaker 2: I think it's fantastic.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Carla, did you say that it's going to be
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  Speaker 1: like a fifteen minute window when you're best going to
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  Speaker 1: be able to best going to be able to observe
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  Speaker 1: Pluto pass in front of a distant starr in Catherine.
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: Yeah, don't caught me on the exact time, but it's
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  Speaker 3: a role. It's not very long.
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  Speaker 4: The window is very brief.
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  Speaker 3: And that's why they have to practice many days before
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  Speaker 3: they go to the exact place when it happens, which
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  Speaker 3: is the middle of next week. Yeah, it's very brief
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  Speaker 3: and it needs to be perfect conditions and needs to
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  Speaker 3: be clear skies. Last time they did it, they build
• 3:52
  Speaker 3: up and rain on the day, so that wasn't a
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  Speaker 3: bit of a problem.
• 3:56
  Speaker 4: We're in the middle of the dry season, so I.
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  Speaker 3: Think the the chances are really good.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, Now, why is this so exciting? Why is it
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  Speaker 1: such a great thing to be able to see? And
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  Speaker 1: is it going to be visible to the naked eye
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  Speaker 1: like to a normal person as well.
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  Speaker 3: Now, unfortunately you need this really cool telescopes that they're
• 4:16
  Speaker 3: going to be used. They're really big and they're not
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  Speaker 3: a normal telescope em and if you have a normal telescope,
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  Speaker 3: isisn't likely you'll be able to see what they're seeing.
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  Speaker 3: But I think the cool thing about going there on
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  Speaker 3: Sunday is that they will be able to show you
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  Speaker 3: some stars and tell you a little bit more about
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  Speaker 3: and you'll be able to see them better.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, I think it's a greally great opportunity.
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  Speaker 3: So it will be at six thirty at the Catering
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  Speaker 3: Rural Campus, six thirty in the evening at the Catterying
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  Speaker 3: Rural Campus, which is around sixteen k's not of catering,
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  Speaker 3: and that's what people are welcome to come and join us.
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  Speaker 2: And that's on what night? Is that on that on Sunday?
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  Speaker 3: On Sunday, that's right.
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  Speaker 2: I reckon this sounds wonderful.
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  Speaker 1: I mean the fact that we've got thirty people from
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  Speaker 1: well from the US and other parts of Australia descending
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  Speaker 1: on Catherine for this very exciting situation.
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  Speaker 2: I reckon it sounds wonderful.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, they're already looking forward to go there. I think, yeah,
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  Speaker 3: it's a wonderful place and I think they're going to
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  Speaker 3: have a great time done there.
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  Speaker 2: Oh good stuff.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Stem Pathways Professor Karla Eisenberg, it's lovely to speak
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  Speaker 1: to you this morning.
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  Speaker 2: I really appreciate your time. Thank you, Thanks very much,