Star Stuff (Lowell Observatory)

Lowell Observatory is proud to present its very first podcast: Star Stuff! This bi-weekly, 45-minute “space poddity” will focus on making astronomical science and space exploration fun and accessible to […]

The post Introducing Star Stuff: A Space Poddity appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

“Star Stuff Episode 01: Black Holes, Spacetime, and Bread” is now available wherever you get your podcasts! Listen in as the Star Stuff crew discusses how black holes affect our […]

The post Black Holes, Spacetime, and Bread appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Star Stuff discusses the Moon. John’s background of geology and theoretical physics (or, as he says, he’s just “theoretically a physicist”) mixed with the celestial excitement from our resident goth, […]

The post A Case For The Sky Egg appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Star Stuff – Episode 03: “The Secrets of Lowell Observatory” Star Stuff discusses the “Secrets of Lowell” — all the best stories and lore you wouldn’t normally hear on a […]

The post The Secrets of Lowell Observatory appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Star Stuff discusses “Armageddon” — the movie from 1998 and a potential real-life asteroid that could hypothetically threaten Earth. Learn what a life-threatening asteroid may actually look like, what perfect […]

The post What Would “Armageddon” Really Be Like? appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Famous engineer and planetary scientist Dr. Alan Stern joins the Star Stuff crew to share his experience leading the New Horizons mission to Pluto and beyond. Listen as we discuss […]

The post “My Other Vehicle Explored Pluto” – We Talk To Dr. Alan Stern appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In Episode 6 of Star Stuff, we sit down with famous planetary scientist Dr. Cathy Olkin, who has done everything from chasing occultations of Pluto in Switzerland to chasing Trojan […]

The post The Adventures of a Shadow Chaser and Asteroid Hunter: We Talk to Dr. Cathy Olkin appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Hear about Dr. Donald Johanson — the man who traversed Africa in his late 20s, slept with the lions, narrowly escaped helicopter crashes and a bout of Malaria, and through […]

The post The Real Indiana Jones: We Talk to Dr. Johanson, the Lucy Discoverer appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Historians, gather ’round! In this episode of Star Stuff, the crew sits down with Alden Tombaugh and discuss his father, Clyde Tombaugh, and what it was like being the son […]

The post Clyde Tombaugh, From The Eyes of His Son: We Talk to Alden Tombaugh appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this episode of Star Stuff, the crew talks to Dr. Dan Durda about his art, his research, and life on other planets. Dr. Dan Durda has a biography that […]

The post Life On Other Planets, In Art And In Our Universe: We Talk to Dr. Dan Durda appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Hear from Lowell Observatory Cosmologist Dr. Kyler Kuehn about his project to capture Dark Energy “on camera.” We do a deep dive on what Dark Energy is and how it […]

The post Capturing Dark Energy On Camera: We Talk to Dr. Kyler Kuehn appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

On this episode of Star Stuff, the crew and Lowell Cosmologist Dr. Kyler Kuehn sits down with Dr. Roedolph Opperman to talk about what life in outer space may look […]

The post Life on Mars (Human and … Otherwise) appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this episode of Star Stuff, we talk about what constellations are in the Northern Hemisphere’s night sky right now, how to find them, and their stories throughout cultures around […]

The post Star Stories (The Constellations Of Spring) appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Star Stuff sits down with Lowell Astronomer Dr. Gerard van Belle to talk about the life cycle of stars. Find out why Gerard lovingly refers to our sun as a […]

The post The Life of Stars: We Talk to Lowell Astronomer Gerard van Belle appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Join the Star Stuff Crew as we talk about the basics of the James Webb Space Telescope, including what it will help us discover, why it took so long to […]

The post The $10 Billion Origami Project: We Review the Basics of the James Webb Space Telescope appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Star Stuff joins Todd Gonzales (Lowell Education Manager) and Ed Finn of ASU’s Center for Science and the Imagination to talk about what it means to imagine, and how we […]

The post What Does It Mean To Imagine? We Talk To Ed Finn of ASU’s Center for Science and the Imagination appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

A comet, an asteroid, and a centaur walk into a bar(red spiral galaxy)… If you want to be cool and get this joke, listen in on this episode of Star […]

The post Comets, Asteroids, and Centaurs appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this episode of Star Stuff, we talk to Grand Canyon “Dark Sky Ranger” Rader Lane about International Dark Sky Week (April 22 – 30) and how our neighbors at […]

The post Exploring Dark Skies with Grand Canyon “Dark Sky Ranger” Rader Lane appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this episode of Star Stuff, the crew talks all about planets with two of Lowell’s planetary scientists, Dr. Amanda Bosh and Dr. Jennifer Hanley. Learn about our solar system’s […]

The post Sol’s Planets – We Talk To Two Lowell Planetary Scientists appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Learn about how eclipses have been represented in history and in lore, and find out some fun facts about the moon. 

The post The Total Lunar Eclipse: Myth, Lore, and History appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this episode of Star Stuff, Dr. Chip Shearer talks about his project with NASA to finally open a capsule of Moon rock collected in the early 1970s during the […]

The post Uncovering 50-Year-Old Moon Rock: We Talk to Dr. Chip Shearer appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Star Stuff chats with Lowell research scientists Dr. Joe Llama and Dr. Kyler Kuehn about how they got into astronomy, where their studies took them, and why they didn’t like […]

The post The Career Path of an Astronomer appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Star Stuff is joined by Nate Nise, Kevin White, and Dr. Scott Barrows of Lowell Observatory to talk about a few of our favorite sci-fi scores. To listen along with […]

The post The Sound of Science in Movies: We Review Sci-Fi Scores appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Star Stuff sits down with Alaina Levine, an award-winning professional speaker, STEM career coach, science writer, TEDX speaker, and entrepreneur. Hear directly from Alaina how you can create your perfect […]

The post Finding Your Unicorn Career in STEM: We Talk To Alaina Levine appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Star Stuff sits down with Lowell astronomer Dr. Larry Wasserman to hear about his amazing discovery of Uranus’ rings, and how running low on gas almost changed the course of […]

The post Car Trouble and the Rings of Uranus appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

The Star Stuff crew goes through the Lowell Iceberg, created and explained by Lowell educators Hannah Zigo and Jacob Irish. We go through each layer of our Lowell Iceberg, starting […]

The post The Lowell Iceberg: Strange Sightings, Observatory Lore, and Clown Man appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Star Stuff hangs out with public speaker, author, television host, and astronomer Dean Regas in the Clyde Tombaugh apartment, where they talk about distant worlds, burning controversies, and the delicate […]

The post Talking With Grown-Ups About Pluto (And Other Fun Controversies) | We Talk To Dean Regas appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this episode of Star Stuff, we talk about what constellations are in the Northern Hemisphere’s night sky right now, how to find them, and their stories throughout ancient cultures. […]

The post Star Stories (the Constellations of Summer) appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this very special episode of Star Stuff, our hosts sit down with NAU assistant professor Dr. Cristina Thomas to discuss the ways in which the James Webb Space Telescope […]

The post How The James Webb Space Telescope Will Change The Way We Look At The Cosmos appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Star Stuff geeks out with poet Julie Swarstad Johnson, who recently served as Lowell Observatory’s Poet In Residence. Tune in to hear them discuss Julie’s work, how astronomy inspires her […]

The post Astronomy in Poetry with Author Julie Swarstad Johnson appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Star Stuff sits down with fiber artist Arline Martens and the principal of Dark Sky Partners Chris Luginbuhl to talk about their experience with astronomical art, and discuss how closely […]

The post The Art of the Night Sky – We Talk to “NightVisions” Artist Arline Martens and Exhibit Co-Creator Chris Luginbuhl appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Learn exactly it means for a planet to be in opposition, and what is so cool about Saturn and its moons. Don’t miss the Saturn Opposition on August 14, and […]

The post Saturn Opposition: What It Means and Why It’s So Cool appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Cody and Hailey meet up with Dr. Catherine Clark and Dr. Lauren Biddle (two newly-minted PhD’s!) to discuss what inspires them, hurdles they’ve faced as women in STEM, what it […]

The post The Path of a Female Scientist appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

No Earth. His best friend is a cockroach. Can you guess the sci-fi movie? Play along on this episode of Star Stuff and see how many you can guess!

The post Guess That Sci-Fi Movie: We Play A Podcast Game appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Enjoy this full book review of Andy Weir’s incredible sci-fi novel Project Hail Mary — from astronomers here at our world-famous observatory! Listen to our scientists Dr. Kaspar von Braun, Dr. […]

The post Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir: An Astronomer’s Review appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

The Star Stuff crew sits down to discuss what it’s like to be a student in modern university structures, including the pressure that students (especially women) face in STEM majors.

The post Academic Burnout appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this episode of Star Stuff, Cody and Hailey chat with Dr. Alycia Weinberger and Dr. Kaspar von Braun about American astronomer Dr. Vera Rubin. They discuss her life and […]

The post Dr. Vera Rubin: Discoveries, Stories, and Good Memories appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this episode of Star Stuff, Cody, Hailey, and Harvard astrophysicist Dr. Martin Elvis talk about quasars, black holes, asteroids, and Dr. Elvis’ book Asteroids: How Love, Fear, and Greed Will […]

The post Asteroids: How Love, Fear, and Greed Will Determine Our Future in Space appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this episode of Star Stuff, Cody, Hailey, Lowell Astronomer Dr. Nick Moskovitz, and DART Team Lead Dr. Cristina Thomas will discuss the ins and outs of NASA’s Double Asteroid […]

The post Throwing DARTs: Exploring NASA’s Planetary Defense Mission appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Learn about colliding black holes with CASA postdoctoral research associate Dr. Scott Barrows and Lowell Observatory astronomer Dr. Jennifer Hanley.

The post When Black Holes Collide appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Star Stuff meets again with fan-favorite Dark Sky Ranger Rader Lane of the Grand Canyon National Park to talk about how Rader combines dark skies and creative inspirations to produce […]

The post How Would You Remember The Stars? | We Talk to Rader Lane, Dark Sky Ranger at Grand Canyon National Park appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Is NASA real? Is the Earth flat? In this episode of Star Stuff, Cody and Hailey chat with John Compton about space-related conspiracy theories and how they don’t hold up […]

The post Debating Space Conspiracy Theories appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

On this episode of Star Stuff, Hailey and Madi sit down with 2020 Fullbright Future Scholar, astronomy PhD candidate, and freelance science communicator Jake Clark to discuss distant worlds, teenage […]

The post Searching for New Worlds with Jake Clark appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this episode of Star Stuff, Cody and Hailey hear from astronomers Dr. Kyler Kuehn and Dr. Teddy Kareta as they give their scientific perspectives on the classic horror/sci-fi film […]

The post We Got Astronomers to Review ‘The Thing’ appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this episode of Star Stuff, we chat with poet Lauren Camp about her experience as the Grand Canyon’s astronomer in residence and how the park’s dark skies influenced her […]

The post The Fear and Beauty of the Night: We Talk to Grand Canyon’s Astronomer in Residence Lauren Camp appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this Episode of Star Stuff, Cody and Hailey chat with astrophysicist and returning guest Dr. Martin Elvis about ‘Oumuamua, an interstellar object with unknown origins. Is it a space […]

The post ‘Oumuamua: The Extrasolar Asteroid… Or Alien Craft appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this episode of Star Stuff, Hailey chats with astrobiologist Dr. Bonnie Baxter and Lowell Public Program Educator Juan Ruiz about astrobiology. How did they get into the field? What […]

The post The Modern Hunt for Aliens: What Is Astrobiology? appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this episode of Star Stuff, we chat with Bradly Rivera, the Elementary School Division Head and STEM Program Lead at Arecibo Observatory’s STAR Academy. Learn all about the incredible […]

The post Arecibo Observatory: A Message To The Unknown appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Grab a horn-full of your favorite beverage and get ready for a crossover of mythic proportions! In this episode of Star Stuff, Hailey and John discuss Norse mythology with Nick […]

The post Tales from the Drinking Horn: We Talk Norse Mythology with the Meadcast appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this episode of Star Stuff, Hailey chats with Lowell Early Education Supervisor, Kelly Ferguson, and CEO of Flagstaff local business Quality Connections, Armando Bernasconi. Kelly talks about how Lowell’s […]

The post Fostering Education Resources in Communities appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Listen in as Lowell Observatory Educators Hailey Osborn and Matt Lydy discuss some of the most popular sci-fi movies, from 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) to Passengers (2016). Learn their […]

The post How Realistic Were These Popular Sci-Fi Movies? A Scientist’s Review appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

You’ve heard the Greek myths about how the constellations formed, but what about the stories of other cultures? In this episode of Star Stuff, we sit down with cultural astronomer […]

The post Learning Science Through Historic Literature appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

That’s a wrap on Star Stuff Season 1! In this episode, we reminisce with Star Stuff crew members, Madi Mooney, Nate Nise, and John Compton, about their favorite episodes from […]

The post Season 1 Finale: What We Learned On Season 1 appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Welcome to Star Stuff Season 2, now also in video format on YouTube! How do scientists study light? In this episode, we talk about the various types of spectroscopy and […]

The post Seeing The Unseen: We Talk About Spectroscopy appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Wormholes? Time travel? Alternate universes? In this episode of Star Stuff, we talk about black holes, the different types of black holes, and the bizarre implications of their existence.

The post Beyond The Event Horizon: We Talk About Black Holes appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

A telescope made out of farming equipment? Discovering Pluto? In this episode of Star Stuff, Hailey sits down with Lowell historian Kevin Schindler to talk about the man who discovered […]

The post From The Farm To The Stars: We Talk About Clyde Tombaugh appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Star Stuff sits down for a chat with astronomer Dr. Daniel Fleisch, who served as Astronomer in Residence at Grand Canyon National Park in December 2022. They discuss his time […]

The post The Math of the Universe & Elements of Awe with Astronomer Dr. Daniel Fleisch appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Are we running through the six with our woes…. alone? The Drake Equation says no. On this episode of Star Stuff, our fearless hosts delve into a probabilistic argument created […]

The post Exploring the Drake Equation: We Talk About Aliens appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

The Star Stuff crew sits down with solar astronomer and Lowell Observatory Executive Director, Dr. Jeff Hall, to talk about a seriously hot topic: the Sun! Jeff tells us about […]

The post Let’s Take A (Conversational) Look at the Sun – We Talk to Dr. Jeff Hall appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

What is life? In this episode of Star Stuff, our hosts discuss what it means to be alive on Earth and beyond.

The post What Is Life? appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this episode of Star Stuff, we sit down with Lowell educator, Gavin Moriarty, to talk about the basics of astrophotography and how you can get started in the craft.

The post Capturing The Cosmos: We Talk About Astrophotography appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Ever wondered what it’s like to live in space? Star Stuff sits down with Astronaut Nicole Stott to ask the important questions, from how living in space affected her art, […]

The post What Is Life Really Like In Space? – We Talk To Astronaut Nicole Stott appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Filmed at the Grand Canyon! This episode features audience favorite Dark Sky Ranger Rader Lane to discuss the Astronomer in Residence program at the Grand Canyon with the Astronomer in […]

The post Apollo Astronauts At The Grand Canyon? We Talk To Dark Sky Ranger Rader Lane appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this episode of Star Stuff, astronomers Dr. Gerard van Belle and Dr. David Ciardi take us on a behind-the-scenes journey through a night of observing, from the movies they […]

The post What Astronomers Do In The Dark appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

String Theory? Braneworld? In this episode of Star Stuff, we discuss some of the most mind-blowing theories of how our universe works. Stay tuned for Part 2!

The post Theories of the Universe Part 1 appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Multiverse? Simulation? In this episode of Star Stuff, we discuss even more of the most mind-blowing theories of how our universe works.

The post Theories of the Universe Part 2 appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this episode of Star Stuff, we talk to University of Denver professor and astronomer, Dr. Jennifer Hoffman, about making science more accessible. To learn more about DU SciTech Summer […]

The post Making Science Accessible appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Learn about a 50,000-year-old Meteor Crater from the man who runs the crater business here in Flagstaff, Arizona. In this episode of Star Stuff, we sit down with Matthew Kent, […]

The post Making an Impact appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this episode of Star Stuff, we sit down with journalist Melissa Sevigny to talk about her career, choosing between different paths, and her newest book, “Brave the Wild River.” […]

The post Choosing Between Sciences and Humanities: We Talk to Journalist Melissa Sevigny appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

The man, the myth, the founder. In this episode of Star Stuff, we talk about how Percival Lowell made history by founding Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona and how he […]

The post The Life and Times of Percival Lowell appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this episode of Star Stuff, we talk about aliens. Again. Join Cody Half-Moon and returning guest Dean Regas as they discuss upcoming solar eclipses, the possibility of life beyond […]

The post Life Beyond Our Solar System appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this episode of Star Stuff, Kevin Schindler is joined by special guest Eric Edelman, the director of the Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium in Prescott, AZ. Kevin and Eric […]

The post Bringing Astronomy to the People appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this episode of Star Stuff, join Cody Half-Moon and geologist John Compton as they discuss the mind-blowing process of our planet’s formation over 4.6 billion years ago.

The post How the Earth Formed appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this episode of Star Stuff, Lowell Historian Kevin Schindler and astronomer Gerard van Belle sit down for a chat with German artist Ulrike Arnold, the subject of the feature-length […]

The post A Moving Portrait appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

An atheist, a catholic, and an agnostic walk into a podcast recording room… and have an incredible conversation about how science and astronomy inform religious perspectives! Inspired by Dr. Kyler […]

The post Reconciling Religion and Astronomy appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this Cosmic Scope Interview (CSI), Lowell’s Technical Facilities Manager Jeff Gehring takes host Cody Half-Moon through the challenges of restoring the historic 24″ Clark Telescope to its former glory […]

The post CSI: Mechanical Forensics appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Wow, over 70,000 listens to Star Stuff! This podcast is still in the top 20 of astronomy podcasts and climbing. Thank you all for your support as we wrap up […]

The post How Common is Life on Other Planets? appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

Makers, Menders, and Writers | We Talk to Diana Gabaldon 2Ep25 Lowell Historian Kevin Schindler sits down with the one and only Diana Gabaldon, author of the wildly popular Outlander book […]

The post Makers, Menders, and Writers | We Talk to Diana Gabaldon appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this special episode of Star Stuff recorded live from Grand Canyon National Park, we’re joined by former Astronomer in Residence and Lowell Observatory Public Information Officer Kevin Schindler, Grand […]

The post LIVE from Grand Canyon: Turning the Park Dark appeared first on Lowell Observatory.

In this episode of Star Stuff, Cody Half-Moon sits down with Lowell astronomer Brian Skiff as he recounts his discovery of Venusian moon Zoozve, and how a determined dad’s twitter […]

The post Does Venus Have A Moon? | We Talk To Zoozve Discoverer Brian Skiff appeared first on Lowell Observatory.