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Articles by Patrick King
Cosmically Curious: A glimpse into the weird and biased history of star constellations
In this episode of Cosmically Curious, St. Anselm College's Nicole Gugliucci explains how astronomers settled on the official list of constellations, and what the choices reveal about whose stories are represented in the night sky. Patrick McNameeKing: Nicole, I know there are famous constellations named for characters in Greek mythology, but I recently read about some real duds. Is it true that there's a constellation of a desk? Nicole Gugliucci: Yeah.
Cosmically Curious: How do we make sense of the vastness of space?
Space is so vast that even scientists struggle to picture its scale. In this conversation, astrophysicist Nicole Gugliucci explains how analogies help us make sense of the cosmic distances that otherwise overwhelm the imagination. Transcript: Patrick McNameeKing: Nicole, how do humans make sense of the size of space? Nicole Gugliucci: We have to use lots of analogies and lots of models. When I teach introductory physics, I ask my students to look at their answer and see if it makes sense, right?
Cosmically Curious: Cloudy with a chance of sulfuric acid?
In this episode of Cosmically Curious, Patrick McNameeKing sits down with astronomer Nicole Gugliucci to explore the bizarre reality of extraterrestrial weather — from scorching sulfuric acid showers on Venus to helium raining through the interior of Saturn. Patrick McNameeKing: I'm joined today by Nicole Gugliucci from Saint Anselm College. Nicole, does it rain on other planets? Nicole Gugliucci: So are we talking about rain on planet surfaces or rain inside planets?
Cosmically Curious: Does the universe remember?
In this segment of Cosmically Curious, host Patrick McNameeKing speaks with astronomer John Gianforte from the University of New Hampshire about whether the cosmos preserves a record of everything that has ever happened — and what the physics of our own sun reveals about the vastness of that question. Patrick McNameeKing: Recently, a listener wrote in asking: "Does the universe keep a record of everything that has ever happened?
Outside/In: Decoding nature’s symphony
In 1985, electronic music pioneer Bernie Krause was asked to step in to help save a stranded humpback whale. Krause was known back then for being an evangelist of Moog synthesizers, not a whale whisperer. But from that moment he would go on to become a foundational scientist in the new field of ecoacoustics, or soundscape ecology. In this episode, producer Patrick McNameeKing talks to three scientists from the growing field of ecoacoustics.
UNH hosting New England Fall Astronomy Festival featuring NASA keynote speaker
The University of New Hampshire's Department of Physics and Astronomy is hosting the New England Fall Astronomy Festival (NEFAF) — a free, two-day event in mid-October packed with inspiring talks, night-sky viewing, and hands-on activities for the whole family. Patrick McNameeKing: So, John, there's something fun happening next month at UNH. Can you tell us about it?
'The foggy goggles of adrenaline': Crashing out at NH's demolition derby scene
It's early fall in New Hampshire, which means . . . it's fair season. Many folks go to their local fair for the rides, maybe the fried food, or the vendors. NHPR's Patrick McNameeKing visited the Hopkinton State Fair this month to hang out with one distinct fair season subculture: the demolition derby crew. He filed this report. Editor's note: We recommend you listen this store, by pressing the red "Listen" button above, to get the fully immersive demolition derby experience.
Cosmically Curious: What holds the universe together? All about fundamental constants
Ever wondered what holds the universe together? In this episode of Cosmically Curious, host Patrick McNamee King sits down with UNH astronomer John Gianforte to explore the fundamental constants of nature — the universal rules and numbers that define reality, set the laws of physics, and allow us to understand the cosmos across space and time. Patrick McNameeKing: So, John, what are the fundamental constants of nature? John Gianforte: You want me to give you a list of all of them?
Cosmically Curious: Black holes and 'spaghettification'
In this episode of Cosmically Curious, host Patrick McNamee sits down with Saint Anselm College astronomer Nicole Gallucci to clear up some common black hole myths, explain the bizarre physics of spaghettification, and reveal what would actually happen if our sun suddenly turned into a black hole. Patrick McNameeKing: So, Nicole, I know from sci-fi movies that black holes are like massive pools of gravity or something. What exactly are they, and why haven't I been sucked in?
Cosmically Curious: 'Evidence is overwhelming' as Webb Telescope detects key gases
A distant exoplanet 700 trillion miles away is captivating astronomers, and the latest findings from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have reignited a major question: Are we alone in the universe? On the latest episode of Cosmically Curious, host Patrick McNameeKing sits down with John Gianforte from the University of New Hampshire to discuss why K2-18b is making headlines. Here is their conversation. Patrick McNameeKing: So, John, there's a planet called K2-18b.
Cosmically Curious: Across the universe with Voyager 1 and 2, Part II
In this edition of Cosmically Curious, host Patrick McNamee King speaks with UNH astronomer John Gianforte about what NASA’s Voyager probes are encountering across the universe 50 years into their mission — and why mapping the boundary of interstellar space matters for the future of space travel. Patrick McNamee King: So, John, last week we talked about the cool plutonium generators powering Voyager 1 and 2.
Part I: The 50-Year Legacy of NASA's Voyager Probes
Launched in the summer of 1977, NASA’s Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft were originally authorized for a brief journey to visit Jupiter and Saturn. Nearly five decades later, both probes are still operating in deep space, pushing the boundaries of human exploration.
Cosmically Curious: Missed the Perseids? Don’t miss August’s near-total lunar eclipse
It’s been a busy week in the cosmos. Were you able to catch the Perseid meteor shower earlier this week? If you slept through it — or were met with cloudy skies — fear not! Another spectacular celestial event is right around the corner. In this segment of NHPR’s Cosmically Curious, host Patrick McNameeKing sits down with UNH astronomer John Gianforte to discuss an upcoming near-total lunar eclipse.
Cosmically Curious: How a microwave fooled astronomers for nearly two decades
In this episode of Cosmically Curious, host Patrick McNameeKing sits down with astronomer Dr. Nicole Gugliucci to unpack how a simple kitchen appliance fooled the scientific community at the Parkes Radio Observatory in Australia for years. Transcript: Dr. Nicole Gugliucci: In 2007, radio astronomers had started picking up these objects called "fast radio bursts." They didn't know where they were coming from.
No telescope needed: How to catch the Perseid meteors this August
If you love stargazing, clear your calendar for mid-August. The Perseid meteor shower is set to reach its annual peak — and this year promises to put on an exceptional show. A meteor shower occurs when Earth passes through a cloud of space debris left along our orbital path around the sun. As Earth plows into these tiny particles, they burn up in our atmosphere, producing bright streaks across the night sky. This year's peak aligns with a new moon, providing ideal viewing conditions.
Ahead of Newport Jazz Fest, Kamasi Washington stops by NH to talk music & connection
Jazz composer, multi-instrumentalist, and bandleader Kamasi Washington is known for pushing the boundaries of contemporary music, and he’s one of the headliners at this year’s Newport Jazz Festival. He sat down recently with NHPR’s Patrick McNameeKing before a performance at Jimmy’s Jazz and Blues Club in Portsmouth, to discuss a life centered on expression, creativity, and connection. This transcription has been lightly edited for clarity.
Cosmically Curious: The supernova that changed astronomy forever
In this edition of Cosmically Cosmically, host Patrick McNameeKing sits down with St. Anselm College astronomer Nicole Gugliucci to chat about a moment in history that changed astronomy forever. In late 1572, long before the invention of the telescope, sky-watchers looking up at the night sky saw something impossible: a blazing new star where nothing had existed before.
Cosmically Curious: The strongest glue in the universe
Dark matter is essentially the glue holding the universe together, according to Nicole Gugliucci, physics professor at St. Anselm College. "Dark matter is this name that we give for something that has been detected, but we don't know what it is." But there must be something else out there. “There's not enough of that in the galaxy, for example, to explain the galaxy's rotation,” Gugliucci said. And whatever particles make up dark matter don’t interact with light.
Nature's greatest cosmic clocks: How pulsars help us decode the universe
When you think of the deep cosmos, you might imagine a silent, unchanging void. But scattered across the universe are objects so dense, massive, and incredibly fast that they challenge our very understanding of physics: pulsars.
They're keeping New Hampshire's French-Canadian heritage alive — and on the tip of the tongue
Renney Morneau, the president of the Berlin Historical Society, is walking among the graves in Berlin’s Mount Calvary Cemetery, pointing out the French names on the headstones: Croteau, Morin, Garneau. It’s just one of many legacies left by the waves of French-speaking Canadian immigrants in this region along New Hampshire’s northern border. But while these old inhabitants of the city are long gone, they left traces in the local language.
They're keeping Berlin's French-Canadian heritage alive — and on the tip of the tongue
Renney Morneau, the president of the Berlin Historical Society, is walking among the graves in Berlin’s Mount Calvary Cemetery, pointing out the French names on the headstones: Croteau, Morin, Garneau. It’s just one of many legacies left by the waves of French-speaking Canadian immigrants in this region along New Hampshire’s northern border. But while these old inhabitants of the city are long gone, they left traces in the local language.
They're keeping Berlin's French-Canadian heritage alive — and on the tip of the tongue
Renney Morneau, the president of the Berlin Historical Society, is walking among the graves in Berlin’s Mount Calvary Cemetery, pointing out the French names on the headstones: Croteau, Morin, Garneau. It’s just one of many legacies left by the waves of French-speaking Canadian immigrants in this region along New Hampshire’s northern border. But while these old inhabitants of the city are long gone, they left traces in the local language.
Cosmically Curious: Why pulsars are the lighthouses of the universe
Nicole Gugliucci, astronomy professor at Saint Anselm College, explains how pulsars work, and how we discovered them to Cosmically Curious host Patrick McNameeKing. The "lighthouse" effect from a pulsar, when the radiation emitting off is visible to Earth A pulsar is the collapsed, zombie-like core of a massive star that died in a supernova explosion. The core consists almost entirely of neutrons packed so tightly that the density exceeds that of atomic nuclei.
Cosmically Curious: To be, or not to be — inside the antimatter mystery
Today, we're answering a question from listener Tim Smith, who asks: Why does anything exist? To answer this, NHPR's Patrick McNamee King reached out to Nicole Gugliucci, an astrophysicist from Saint Anselm College. To start, we have to look at baryons — the scientific term for "normal matter." As Gugliucci explains, this is "the stuff that makes up humans and planets and stars and galaxies, all the stuff we're used to." But normal matter has a twin.
Capturing the Cosmos: Filters & Photons
Have you ever scrolled through Instagram and marveled at a breathtaking photo of a distant nebula or galaxy? What does it takes to capture such celestial beauty? As it turns out, the satellites and telescopes capturing these deep-space marvels only take pictures in black and white. So what gives? How do you capture a full-color image when your recording medium can only see in black and white?
Cosmically Curious: How close are we to a cosmic traffic jam?
We rely on satellites every single day for essential technology like GPS navigation. But as private companies launch massive new fleets into orbit, we have to face a harsh reality: Space up there is not unlimited. How many satellites can we actually fit around the Earth before it becomes a problem? To answer this, we spoke with Nicole Gugliucci, an astrophysicist from Saint Anselm College, to break down the theoretical limits of our crowded orbit.
The cosmic drama of cataclysmic variable stars
Recently on Cosmically Curious, we touched on the knowns and unknowns about the birth of stars. This week, we’re going for even more drama. If you’re looking for a little more flair in your night sky, look no further than cataclysmic variable stars. Host Patrick McNamee King sat down with resident NHPR Sky Guy, John Gianforte from the University of New Hampshire, to break down what these stars are and whether they live up to their explosive name. According to Gianforte, they absolutely do.
Cosmically Curious: A star is born — literally
We talk a lot on this show about stars. But where do they actually come from? Host Patrick McNameeKing put the question to John Gianforte, an astronomer at the University of New Hampshire. According to Gianforte, the story begins in nebulae — vast clouds of gas and dust, mostly hydrogen, drifting through space. Within those clouds, mass concentrates in uneven patches. Where enough material gathers, gravity takes over: The cloud begins to collapse inward, pulling in more and more of its surroundings.
Cosmically Curious: Before the Big Bang
Humans have spent thousands of years trying to explain the origin of the universe through mythology, religion, and science. So for this week’s Cosmically Curious, we checked with Nicole Gugliucci from Saint Anselm College to talk about how modern physicists tackle the ultimate origin story. The Big Bang. "We look around us in the sky, and we see that galaxies are generally moving away from us," Gugliucci explains.
Cosmically Curious: Hydrogen & History
Construction is currently underway in South Africa and Australia for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), a massive radio telescope poised to revolutionize our understanding of the cosmos. Its primary target? Neutral hydrogen (H1). To find it, astronomers tune their "dials" to the 21-centimeter line. To explain what the heck this actually means, we reached out to Dr. Nicole Gugliucci of Saint Anselm College. According to Gugliucci, every element emits specific signatures.
Cosmically Curious: Warp Speed Ahead!
In the world of Star Trek, the crew of the Enterprise zips across the universe at speeds that defy our current understanding of reality. While it often sounds like mere "technobabble," Nicole Gugliucci, a physics professor at Saint Anselm College, explains that there is a legitimate thread of theoretical science woven into those sci-fi scripts. The secret lies not in how fast a ship can fly, but in how it manipulates the universe around it.
Cosmically Curious: Make your own rocket fuel
The discovery of water on Mars is significant in the search for microbial life, but what else might that discovery mean for space exploration? In 2008, the Mars Phoenix lander landed on Mars at the equivalent of the Arctic Circle on Earth. John Gianforte, Astronomy professor at the University of New Hampshire says, “After it touched down, it discovered that it landed basically on an ice skating rink just a few centimeters below the Martian soil.
Cosmically Curious: How do satellites find their way?
Have you ever wondered how satellites stay on course when they're millions of miles from Earth? Recently, a listener named Don reached out to us with that exact question. It turns out the answer is simpler — and more fascinating — than you might expect. To help us understand the mechanics of deep-space navigation, NHPR's Patrick McNameeKing sat down with John Gianforte from the University of New Hampshire.
Cosmically Curious: Star light, star bright
Whether you’re a budding scientist or just someone who loves a starry night, the Starlight Challenge is bringing the wonders of the cosmos to backyards across New Hampshire. A collaboration between the University of New Hampshire Observatory and UNH Cooperative Extension, the program integrates astronomy into the state’s 4-H youth development program. Led in part by UNH Observatory Director John Gianforte, the initiative aims to get families outside and looking up.
Live from Studio D: Oshima Brothers
The Oshima Brothers are a self-described Japanese-Italian alt-pop sibling duo from the coast of Maine. Their sound is lush, multi-layered harmonies and instrumentation. Their self-titled debut record came out more than a decade ago; since then, they’ve recorded multiple albums and EPs, released dozens of videos, toured the country, and garnered millions of streams. We thought it was about time we had them over to New Hampshire for a session live from Studio D. Rick Ganley: Sean and Jamie, welcome.
Cosmically Curious: Clever Hans and the will to believe
When we talk about the search for extraterrestrial life, the conversation usually sticks to the basics: microbes, bacteria, maybe something simple clinging to survival on a distant world. But the question that truly captures the imagination is far more complex: What if there’s intelligent life out there? And more importantly, how would we even recognize it? That question quickly runs into a deeper problem: defining intelligence itself.
Cosmically Curious: Artemis II is more than just a victory lap
Last week, Artemis II lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The astronauts on board are currently circling the moon and are set to return to Earth at the conclusion of their 10-day mission. For this edition of Cosmically Curious, we sat down with John Gianforte, lead observer at the University of New Hampshire, to ask the question: If we already conquered the moon decades ago, are we simply "doing laps" now? His answer, simply put: no. “It's a test of new technology,” Gianforte explains.
Cosmically Curious: Citizen Science & Space Weather
With April just around the corner, we here at Cosmically Curious are celebrating Citizen Science Month a little early. This week, we sit down with Nicole Gugliucci, an Associate Professor of Physics at Saint Anselm College, to discuss the Radio JOVE Project. This unique project empowers students and hobbyists alike to build their own radio telescopes, allowing them to "listen" to the invisible radio emissions streaming from Jupiter and our own sun.
Cosmically Curious: Asteroids and Aminos
Last week, we turned our gaze toward the hidden oceans within our solar system. Today, we’re looking even closer to home—specifically at the rocky neighbors sharing our cosmic backyard. John Gianforte, director of the UNH Observatory, joined us to break down the groundbreaking findings from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission. Launched in 2016, the spacecraft traveled to Bennu, a near-Earth asteroid, where it performed a high-stakes "touch-and-go" maneuver to collect physical samples from the surface.
Live from Studio D: The Rebel Collective
Eleven years ago, Rebel Collective started as a last-minute favor for a church’s Irish music night, and has since evolved into one of New England’s most soulful torchbearers of Celtic tradition. Ahead of their highly anticipated performance at the Bank of New Hampshire Stage in Concord, the members of the Rebel Collective sat down with Patrick McNameeKing in NHPR’s Studio D to discuss the weight of history, the art of "playing by ear" and the deeply personal stories behind their music.
Cosmically Curious: The Long Game
Imagine strolling along a moonlit beach at night. As you listen to the gentle lull of churning waves, you look up and see not one moon, but dozens. This isn't science fiction—it’s a glimpse into the neighborhood of our solar system’s largest gas giant. Today, we’re exploring the efforts to understand the mysterious oceans hidden right in Earth’s cosmic backyard. Jupiter is a busy place, boasting an impressive 97 natural satellites.
Cosmically Curious: Wobbles & Shadows
Last November, a satellite named Mauve made history as the first private space telescope to reach orbit. It’s already hitting its stride, recently clocking its first star discovery. But Mauve isn't just star-gazing; it’s on a hunt for exoplanets. But what exactly is an exoplanet, and how do we find things that are trillions of miles away? Simply put, “An exoplanet is a planet that orbits a star other than the sun,” says John Gianforte, director of the Observatory at the University of New Hampshire.
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