Looking Up

Dean chats with old friend Phil Plait about doomsday predictions related to astronomical events like comets and asteroids, as well as the potential dangers of solar storms impacting Earth and satellites. They also discuss the possibility of alien life and the excitement surrounding current missions to explore celestial bodies like Europa, Enceladus, and Saturn. For links to resources references in this episode as well as a full show transcript, https://www.wvxu.org/podcast/looking-up

Dr. Alan Dressler discusses the James Webb Space Telescope and its ability to see galaxies in the throes of birth 13 billion years ago. The telescope takes pictures of galaxies with extreme sensitivity to infrared light, allowing astronomers to explore the earliest moments of the universe. The team found that galaxies were born with explosive bursts of star formation, unlike anything seen before. New episodes of Looking Up release every other Friday!

An unusual “rogue” black hole is on the run! Dr. Jennifer Wiseman, the Hubble Space Telescope Senior Project Science Scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, joins Dean Regas to discuss this mysterious finding. Music used in this episode is by Ziv Moran, BENJA, Diamonds and Ice, Nobou, and Tamuz Dekel. New episodes of Looking Up release every other Friday!

The Grand Canyon Conservancy Field Institute brings in experts and amateurs alike from all over the world as part of their Astronomer in Residence program. Dean speaks with current astronomer in residence Dr. Jennifer Hoffman, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Denver, and reflects on his own time there. Listen in to learn how you too can apply for this amazing opportunity! New episodes, now releasing every other Friday!

The Artemis missions will send humans back to the moon, including the first woman and first person of color. Our guest this week is Melissa McGuire, the mission design manager for NASA's Gateway Power and Propulsion Element. Listen in to learn how this new project will make space travel more efficient. New episodes, now releasing every other Friday!

Dean and guest Nicolas Altobelli, the science operations and development manager for ESA's JUICE mission, discuss the upcoming project studying Jupiter's icy moons. Stay tuned for more new episodes, now releasing every other Friday!

Dean and guest Michael Zeiler, a geographic information systems specialist and creator of greatamericaneclipse.com, discuss the upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8th, 2024 in Looking Up’s triumphant return! Stay tuned for more new episodes, now releasing every other Friday!

It's been the hottest point of debate between Dean and Anna since this podcast started: Does Pluto deserve to still be classified as a planet? In this episode, we're so excited to be joined by the man who takes credit for "killing" Pluto as a planet, author of "How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming", Mike Brown (@plutokiller) joins us to discuss. Find out why he thinks its all a matter of misclassification in the first place and why kids love telling their parents it's not a planet in this heated debate!

Dean has brought so much wisdom and so many stories from his time as Astronomer in Residence at the Grand Canyon National Park last fall, that we had to squeeze a bit more into another episode. This time he and Anna discuss and share some of his experiences engaging park goers in Sidewalk Astronomy. There's a certain magic and awe that happens when passers by get the opportunity to see distant objects through a telescope and Dean has some great clips from his trip that help prove it!We are also joined by WVXU Reporter and local host of All Things Considered, Bill Rinehart to help us embody the spirit of one of the original purveyors of sidewalk astronomy experiences, John Dobson. Together they revisit an interview Dean had the opportunity to conduct with Dobson before his passing.

That' right! Looking Up is 100 episodes old today! Dean and Anna take the opportunity to reminisce on some greatest moments, hopes for the future, and more. We are also joined by retired Canadian astronaut and author of the new book "The Apollo Murders", Colonel Chris Hadfield. And his stories and credentials go far beyond space and writing. He's spent time as a musician, done television shows, and so much more that needed to be discussed! We also get a "what's up in the skies in 2022" update from our old friend, co-host of the live YouTube Stream "The Joe and Joe Weather Show", Joe Rao (@JoeRaoWeather)