Starwhale Stories

Have you ever had ringing in your ears? Annoying isn't it? That's just what happened to Starwhale but when the low hum wouldn't go he reached out. No one believed him except a group of star seekers who believe they've identified the cosmic frequency of the universe. Will Starwhale ever figure out where it's coming from? A few scientists are willing to help and what they find is, well, you have to listen to find out!

Themes: Black Holes, Frequencies, Space as a Sonic Medium, Science & Pseudoscience

Note: Parts of dialog quoted directly from NASA.gov: nasa.gov/centers/goddard/universe/black_hole_sound.html

The best question askers in the universe are... 4 year olds. And on this particular babysitting evening, Starwhale answers lots of questions but in the end gets stumped. The kid's curiosity nags at him and he sets off to answer one of the oldest questions in the universe.

Themes: Expanse of the Universe

And now for something a bit different! An exhausted and frustrated mom cleans the house for the umpteenth time and can't take it any more. She makes a wish upon an exploding star and that wish has some serious consequences--down to the fabric of space and time.

Meanwhile, Starwhale and a scientist friend are observing the supernova when things start to unravel. They hurry back, all along the way encountering entropy and the universe not behaving like it should. 

In the end things get, as Dr. Who would say, timey wimey. But if you pay attention throughout you'll catch what's going on. 

Good luck!

Themes: Entropy, (2nd Law of Thermodynamics), supernovas

Music Credit: When You Wish Upon a Star, Leigh Harline and Ned Washington (1940, public domain), arrangement and interpretations are original. 

Source Credit: Isaac Asimov's The Last Question

Starwhale comes across a research paper by unknown authors. Taken by the originality of their work he sets out on a search that leads him to the most unlikely source--a fourth grader who's missing home, a bit bored, and just trying to not get looped into cleaning rain gutters with his dad this summer. 

Themes: Spherules (Micrometeorites), Scientific Method, Research Journals, Summertime and Learning by Doing

Stuck. An entire planet is stuck on lockdown, including Starwhale. What could make matters worse? Maybe if half the planet's life-saving vaccine's were stuck too! With the clock ticking and an entire planet depending on them, who will help Starwhale and the salvaging crew when they run out of options? 

Themes: The Power of a Child with Questions, Tides and the Moon, Pandemics and Vaccines

Scientists and leaders of a trapped planet work against the clock to find an escape. Their solution, although promising, scares even Starwhale. What follows is harrowing story of near-extinction, massive explosions, and bravery. 

This is part two of a two-part series; see Ep.44, The Steel-Curtain Sky, for the first half of the story. 

Themes: Kessler Syndrome, Planetary Climates and Cooling, Improvising, Bravery

"Wait, don't touch that dial!" A hero, space station and crew, two warring countries, and an entire planet--all trapped with very little time to escape. When Starwhale hears the frantic SOS signal it may already be too late but that doesn't stop him from trying to untangle the trickiest problem he's faced so far.

Episode 44 is part one of a two-part series

Themes: Kessler Syndrome, Planetary Climates and Cooling

Starwhale and Marlew continue their quest, that begins in Episode 42, to uncover what happened to the famous sculptor, Boisluth. What they discover changes their perceptions about life, legacy, and love. 

Themes: Gravity, Low Gravity Planets and Life, Habitable Zone, Art, Chaconne (from Bach's Partita for Solo Violin in D minor)

A pioneering impresario organizes a historic arts exhibition in outer space. The event showcases a musician, painter, poet, and sculptor as they give their first ever performances in zero gravity. But then, a mysterious disappearance leaves a planet, and a young daughter, searching for answers. And Starwhale is called on to help solve a mystery that will take him and a new friend across a planet... and beyond!

Themes: Space Tourism, Zero Gravity, Arts

Twinkle Twinkle Little... you know the song. But do you know why? Why they twinkle? That's the question a little girl asks mom and dad--and mom and dad in turn ask Starwhale as he visits for a bedtime story. The answer will change the way you look at the stars. 

Themes: Light, Atmospheres, Turbulence

*Special Note* The first 40 episodes of Starwhale and the Known Universe were produced three each week--a good way to get started and find a groove. Going forward there will be one new episode each week, released on Tuesdays. This allows for composing original music, sound design, as well as crafting better stories and more refined audio.