[♪ OUTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ Space, 2023. And look forward to the next 12 months in astronomy. Welcome back to The Cosmic Companion. I'm James Maynard. This week we wrap up Season 6 as we look at... Space 2023! Now in the year 2023, a must-have nuclear explosion will whip a moon from its orbit, sending more than 300 inhabitants of a lunar colony co-reigning into space. No, no, that's not right. Yeah, right. Anyway, we're going to give you a look at what's happening in the night sky over the next 12 months, as well as looking forward to what's coming up on our show in the coming weeks. Now in January, we're going to take a glimpse at how 3D environments give us our best look yet at the few in our future beyond the Earth. We're also going to imagine predators in space. What can animal hunters here on Earth teach us about possible predators on distant worlds? We're going to be hunting down ideas with shark weak regular Paul de Gilder. Yeah, him. On the 28th of January, we're going to be discussing the history of diversity in space exploration from its earliest days up through the modern age and beyond, talking with Meredith Bagby, author of The New Guys. Check that out in Episode 4 of our upcoming season coming up on the 28th of January. Now, if that weren't enough, we're going to be kicking February off with a new look at the amazing remastered images of The Apollo from the Apollo Project. We welcome NASA expert and historian Andy Saunders to the show, discussing his new work Apollo Remastered. Here's a short clip from that interview. And I was just ecumble to what I was looking at. You know, and I knew what this meant. It was, you know, a really clear image of Neil Armstrong on the moon. You can see his face, which is eyelid. So don't think anything will ever kind of top that. But the front cover's got a bit of everything. It was a very underexposed photograph. We almost never see it. It's become this incredible atmospheric portrait. It's the only photograph of an Apollo astronaut in the full suit and bubble helmet in the lunar module. It's a historic moment because he's actually looking up through the docking window undertaking the first ever docking in space between two crude spacecraft. I spoke to Rusty Swaikart who took that photograph and he said, I can't tell you how hard he's concentrating in that moment. You know, this is the first time they've ever done taking the docking. The controls were set up to look forwards out of the windows for landing on the moon because they were testing it in Earth orbit. He was looking up through the docking window. So we had to translate through 90 degrees all of those movements. They were in a spacecraft that couldn't get them home. There was no heat shield because it was the lunar module that they were testing. So if they didn't dock to the command module that had the heat shield, they're on trouble. They're in trouble. So it's high pressure, historic moment, concentrating hard, and yet it also happens to be this cinematic atmospheric portrait. So that has a bit of everything in it and hence, you know, being on the front cover. Yeah. Join us starting on 4th February to watch the film interview with Andy Saunders looking at Apollo 2 Artemis, our future on the moon. Now, naturally 2023 will feature the usual angular solar usual angular meteor showers and the moon is always going to be there. That is, in less a giant nuclear explosion. A bit of a part from network mode possibility. Here's a look forward to the coming year in the night sky. On 20th April in the coming year, many amateur astronomers in the southern hemisphere will be treated to a hybrid solar eclipse. These events appear total in some areas and partial in others, hence the name hybrid. No, they don't run on batteries half the time. This eclipse begins in the southern Indian Ocean, stretching toward western Australia and southern parts of Indonesia. Now, people living on the islands of Indonesia and parts of Australia will be treated to a partially eclipse. What about the kangaroos? Yeah, naturally the kangaroos are going to enjoy it as well. A penumbural lunar eclipse happening on the 5th of May will be seen over parts of eastern Europe and Africa, all of Asia, all straight again. Well, that's a rip snota. Our planetary companion, the moon, comes in closer to Earth in average, faring a huge massive nuclear explosion. A producing a super moon on the 3rd of July. Another super moon, this one also moon, is going to take place on the final day of August. On the 14th of October, as you're hanging Halloween decorations, an annular solar eclipse will develop in the Pacific Ocean west of southern Canada and spread towards the southwestern United States before moving into Central America and Brazil. Large sloths of North and South America will be treated to a partially eclipse from this event. Europe, Asia, Africa and western Australia are going to see a partial lunar eclipse on the 28th of October. Halloween weekend! If you enjoy the Cosmic Companion, also take a listen to our friends at Pale Blue Pod. This new podcast about space and astronomy, hosted by Astral Physicist and Bokelorist Dr. Boyan, here and comedian and space educator, Kareem Concluto, brings science to everyone with fun, white hearted episodes. Astral Physicist and Bokelorist remember, Boyan McTier earned a degree in Harvard and PhD from Columbia University, giving her desire to teach science with humor, and probably just as important to this narrative. She also went on to meet writer and comedian Corrine Concluto. Now, Concluto is a former game show host and she wrote Space Crash with Yale Summer Cabaret. Check out this podcast that people who are overwhelmed by the universe but want to be its friend at palebluepod.space. Now, next week for our season 7 premiere, we're going to welcome Toni Tolado, host of the Sci-Fi Talk Podcast in the Show. We'll be envisioning our future in space as seen through the revolutionary technologies of the made-of-birds and 3D environments. Please join us starting on the 7th of January. Make sure you enjoy all the universe around us, has to offer and visit us each week here on the Cosmic Companion. Don't you just adore sharing the Cosmic Companion with all our friends, Mopsie? Most in jubidably. You're always welcome in our corner of space. We're skies and happy new year.