Looking Up

Dean and Anna are joined by CEO of COSI and host of the new show from WOSU public media QED with Dr. B, Dr. Frederic Bertley. He shares how COSI (Center of Science and Industry) in Columbus has continued to inspire young minds throughout this past year of pandemic and how wanting more time on his electronic Colece Football handheld game as a child started his own journey into the world of science education.

With Daylight Saving Time coming up this weekend, Dean and Anna explore a bit of its history and the unending question: do we even need it anymore? What is time anyway? And why does it matter to an astronomer?

He’s a veteran TV meteorologist in the New York City area and an astronomer who writes for outlets like Space.com. Joe Rao recently listed his Top 10 astronomical events to watch in 2021 so Dean and Anna wanted to get these on their calendar.

As the pandemic wears on towards a full year, we got to wondering how our friend and Twitter legend, Phil Plait, is doing. He’s known as the @BadAstronomer. Phil shares his thoughts on being in the writers room for hit Netflix series, Bill Nye Saves the World and what its like covering astronomy for his 619,000 followers Twitter followers during these past months of isolation.

One of the most impacted aspects of life in this pandemic is education, whether by classroom teachers or outreach efforts like those at the Cincinnati Observatory.

Dean and Anna return for our first episode of the new year. Take a look back and forward as they review some of the top astronimical events of 2020 and preview what to look for in the skies throughout 2021.

Cosmos is one of the most recognizable names in science TV and books. Just before the pandemic set-in, Dean Regas and Anna Hehman had the chance to talk with Ann Druyan, writer/editor/producer of the Cosmos series, author of a variety of books including this year’s Cosmos: Possible Worlds, and widow of the show’s host, astronomer Carl Sagan.

In astronomy, a conjunction is when two astral objects appear to us as being next to, or very close to one another. Coming in December is what’s being referred to as the Great Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter, and it will be their closest approach since 1632.

Mars may be the most studied, most discussed planet in our universe. What is this fascination?

If you google our guest Dr. Ethan Seigel, you won’t see images of a white-coated scientist. He’s big, bald, bearded, and there’s even one where he’s wearing a tiara. But he’s a passionate science communicator for Forbes.com and theoretical astrophysicist and makes for a fascinating interview.