Cosmic Radio Series Brings Celestial Science Down to Earth (Forwarded)

National Radio Astronomy Observatory
P.O. Box O
Socorro, NM 87801
http://www.nrao.edu

Contact:
Dave Finley, Public Information Officer
(505) 835-7302

EMBARGOED For Release: 9:30 a.m., CST, Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Cosmic Radio Series Brings Celestial Science Down to Earth

A new series of short radio programs designed to bring the space-age science
of radio astronomy down to Earth is being launched by the National Radio
Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and Allegheny Mountain Radio. The series,
called Cosmic Radio, covers topics ranging from exciting recent scientific
discoveries to how radio telescopes help explore the Universe, to the
fascinating history of radio astronomy.

"The discoveries and history of radio astronomy include many exciting
stories, and Cosmic Radio will bring those stories to listeners across the
country," said Sue Ann Heatherly, the NRAO Education Officer in Green Bank,
West Virginia, and co-producer of the series. Gibbs Kinderman, of Allegheny
Mountain Radio, the other co-producer, added, "The subject matter is
fascinating, and we did a lot of work making the complex topics
comprehensible even to a science dummy like me."

Cosmic Radio includes 26 self-contained radio programs, each 2.5 minutes in
length, explaining some aspect of radio astronomy. Produced with funding
from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the programs are available to
all radio stations at no cost. The programs have been provided on CD to more
than 500 NPR-affiliated stations, and will be available through a Web site
that will be updated with a new program each week.

The Web site is at:
http://www.nrao.edu/cosmicradio

Station managers who wish to use Cosmic Radio programs on the air will find
contact information on the Web site.

NRAO Senior Scientist Felix "Jay" Lockman, a leading researcher at the NRAO
Green Bank, West Virginia, observatory, served as scientific advisor to
Cosmic Radio, and West Virginia Public Broadcasting veteran and news host
Beth Vorhees is narrator.

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National
Science Foundation, operated under cooperative agreement by Associated
Universities, Inc.