Star Stuff

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 of the man who discovered Pluto. We talk about his father’s early life, crow puns, Clyde’s favorite planet (spoilers: it wasn’t Pluto!), and why Alden pursued a career outside of astronomy. Star Stuff is made possible by Lowell...

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 it all discovered the Lucy hominid fossil. This real-life Indiana Jones shares his incredible stories and discoveries with the Star Stuff crew, ahead of his appearance in Flagstaff at The Orpheum for Lowell Observatory’s &...

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 Asteroids as the Deputy Principal Investigator of the Lucy Mission. Join the Star Stuff crew as we delve into her stories of incredible adventures and space exploration. This podcast is a part of our celebration of the...

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 why Dr. Stern considers Pluto to indeed be a planet based on his coined definition of the “Star Trek Test.” 

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 conditions would need to exist, and how sailing could save the world. This episode was made possible by Lowell Observatory’s members and donors.

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 public tour of the campus. Hear about the 11-year-old girl who named Pluto, the stories surrounding our founder’s mausoleum, and the discovery of Pluto and dark matter. [V iew transcript here.]

Cody Half-Moon, Madi Mooney, and guest John Compton discuss 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, Madi, make for a fascinating discussion about the Moon's history, its lore, and... various cycles.

"Star Stuff Episode 01: Black Holes, Spacetime, and Bread" is now available wherever you get your podcasts! Listen in as Cody Half-Moon, Hailey Osborn, and Wesley Sonnemaker discuss how black holes affect our universe, the fabric of spacetime, and how it all relates to a bowling ball, a ping pong ball, and bread.

This is an intro to our new podcast, Star Stuff. Our first episode will be published on January 4, 2022, and will air weekly every Tuesday. Send questions, topic suggestions, corrections, or notes to info@lowell.edu or tweet us at @lowellobs. Subscribe between now and January 4, 2022, to get a special gift from our Star Stuff crew! Show us proof of your subscription to Star Stuff by tagging us in...