Star Stuff

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 Sun’s life cycle and what it can teach us about other stars.

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 by Dr. Frank Drake in 1961, used to estimate the number of active, communicative extraterrestrial civilizations in the Milky Way Galaxy.

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 at one of the world’s greatest natural wonders, as well as the math of the universe and the awe it inspires.

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 Pluto, Clyde Tombaugh.

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.

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 how they’re used in different fields, from astronomy to art history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBbR7HSFFLM

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 past year and what they learned while working on the show. Get ready for Season 2, premiering in January 2023 in all new video format on YouTube! But don’t worry, we’ll still be on all your favorite stre...

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 Dr. Danielle Adams to discuss the lesser-known stories of the Arabian night sky.

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 hot scientific takes on these films, and what the plot may have actually been like if the storylines were real.

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 education programs help kids get into STEM and Armando talks about how Evergreen Academy Preschool helps kids become successful learners and members of our community.

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 Irvine and Evan Anderson of the Drinking Horn Meadcast.

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 Arecibo Message sent by Arecibo Observatory in 1974, what the message entailed, and what they were hoping to accomplish. They also talk about the STAR Academy program, what it entails, and how it’s helping s...

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 might life look like on other planets? What do Mars and the Great Salt Lake have in common?

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 rock? Or something beyond our wildest imaginations?

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 poetry.

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 Thing (1982)!

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 alien joyrides, and much more.

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 to the science.

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 award-winning art through a series of interactive and immersive videos.

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

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 Redirection Test (DART) mission.

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 Determine Our Future in Space.

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 career, as well as stories from time spent working with her.

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.

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. Catherine Clark, and educator Claire Gibson talk in depth about their reactions to this sci-fi book. [SPOILERS IN THIS EPISODE.] Buy Project Hail Mary on Andy Weir’s website at andyweirauthor.com.