ASTRO[SOUND]BITES: AN AUDIO RESOURCE FOR INFORMAL EDUCATION

Abstract

Astro[sound]bites is a bi-weekly, freely-available podcast companion to the popular blog Astrobites.org. The graduate-student co-hosts of astro[sound]bites present Astrobites content, with an emphasis on synthesizing diverse subfields and pursuing topics peripheral to research. Each episode features a "space sound" segment in which we play and discuss an audio clip related to astronomy and astrophysics. Astro[sound]bites conveys recent astronomy research results in an engaging and accessible manner without visual media. As of April 2022, we have published 53 episodes across many streaming platforms, with approximately 200 downloads per episode in 70 countries, totalling over 12,000 downloads. While astronomy content is often conveyed visually, we provide a crucial resource for auditory learning and promote efforts for inclusionary practices in astronomy.