The Nature of Nantucket

Join Lailyn Borum of the Maria Mitchell Association as she discusses the Andromeda Galaxy . The Andromeda Galaxy is the closest, large galaxy to us, located approximately 2.5 million light years away. It is the only object outside of our own Milky Way galaxy that you can see with your naked eye on a clear, dark night. 

Join host and Director of Astronomy of the Maria Mitchell Association Dr. Regina Jorgenson as she talks with the six NSF REU Interns for the summer of 2023. She is joined with Elden Fobbs, Maddy Reich, Lailyn Borum, Jonathan Kho, MacKenzie Dean and Sherelyn Alejandro who have all been interning for the Maria Mitchell Association this summer right here on Nantucket. They tell us about how they got...

Join Joanna Roche of the Maria Mitchell Association as she gets to chat with photographer and videographer Tucker Finerty . Joanna talks to Tucker about his origin story and how it brought him to Nantucket. She also learns about his travels and how he started in the worlds of photography and videography. Check out Tuckers work online by visiting https://www.tuckerfinerty.com/ . To learn more about...

Join Maddy Reich of the Maria Mitchell Association as she discusses our galaxy, the Milky Way . The Milky Way is home to hundreds of billions of stars- including our own Sun. Though we live inside of the Milky Way, we can still observe it with our naked eye on a clear, moonless night on Nantucket.  

Join Jonelle Gurley of the Maria Mitchell Association as she gets to chat with Professor of Astronomy Brian Fields of the University of Illinois . Jonelle gets to talk with Brian about all the amazing things he is currently working on and how he began his journey in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Dr. Brian Fields will be the guest speaker for the MMA Speaker Series called "When the Stars Attack&...

Join Jonathan Kho of the Maria Mitchell Association as he discusses the gas giants Saturn and Jupiter. The gas giant planets Saturn and Jupiter are two of our solar system's most iconic planets, and for good reason! Beyond being magnificent to look at, they have many other fantastic properties that make them unique objects in our night sky.

Join Sherelyn Alejandro of the Maria Mitchell Association as she discusses the Constellation of Draco . The constellation of Draco is one the largest constellations in the night sky, appearing like a large dragon swooping near the big and little dippers and is prominent in the Nantucket night sky right now!

This week host Joanna Roche talks with James Ellsmoor from Island Innovation . Joanna talks with James about what Island Innovation is all about. He explains that Island Innovations mission is to connect islands around the world for positive change by sharing ideas and concepts from different islands. Learn more about Island Innovation online by visiting https://islandinnovation.co/ . To learn mor...

This week host Joanna Roche talks with artist Rita Leduc. Joanna talks with Rita about her partnership with the Maria Mitchell Association and Oika. Rita is one of four artist that have put the Oika exhibit together here at the MMA on Nantucket. The exhibit runs through July 12th. There is a link to the show at https://oika.com/oika-art-nantucket . Rita will also be on island to teach a workshop f...

Join Maddy Reich of the Maria Mitchell Association as she discusses the Moon . Because of its proximity to Earth, the Moon and some of its features can be seen with the naked eye. Though the size of the Moon in the Nantucket sky can be awe-inspiring, some of its size is just an illusion.

Join MacKenzie Dean of the Maria Mitchell Association as she discusses the James Webb Space Telescope and Carbon Compounds. JWST made its first detection  of a carbon compound in space, which could be vital to finding extraterrestrial life.

This week the Maria Mitchell Association’s Scientist-in-Residence, Dr. Rich Blundell , speaks with two of the four artists featured in The Art of Oika Nantucket exhibition which is currently showing at the MMA gallery at 33 Washington Street and around the island until July 12. Dena Haden is a visual artist who creates organic and living art while Dakota Clearwater Lacroix is a multimedia artist f...

This week host Jonelle Gurley who is the Director of Science and Programs at the Maria Mitchell Association talks with Dr. Giovanni Fazio PHD in Physics. Jonelle talks with Dr. Fazio about his long career in science and physics and how he got started. He also talks about his many years working on telescopes including the Spitzer Space Telescope. Dr. Fazio just celebrated his 90th birthday and stil...

Join Sherelyn Alejandro of the Maria Mitchell Association as she discusses the Ring Nebula. The Ring Nebula is a Planetary Nebula in the Constellation of Lyra - a prominent constellation in the Nantucket night sky right now. 

Join Fiona Powers Ozyurt of the Maria Mitchell Association as she discusses the constellation Aquila. To find Aquila, head outside after 10pm and look in the East direction. Now locate the bright star Vega in the constellation Lyra. Neighboring Vega are two other bright stars, Deneb in Cygnus and Altair in Aquila, which together with Vega form a large triangle. This is the Summer Triangle asterism...

In a follow-up conversation that began back in September 2022, Maria Mitchell Association’s Scientist-in-Residence, Dr. Rich Blundell speaks with the Wampanoag elder and artist, Robert Peters about the evolution of their collaboration to bring Wompanoag culture and people back to Nantucket. In this episode they discuss Roberts artworks in the Art of Oika exhibition now ongoing from June 15 - July...

Join Michele Woodland of the Maria Mitchell Association as she discusses the planet Venus. Venus is the brightest object in the Western evening sky this month. Venus can be seen beginning around sunset and for the next three hours or so. This second planet from the Sun will be visible in the evening sky until mid-August. 

This week host Joanna Roche talks with Dr. Adam Lark Associate Professor of Instruction at Hamilton College . Joanna talks with Dr. Lark about his inspirations and how he discovered his love of astronomy and physics. Dr. Lark is also the Director of the Peters Observatory and discusses the search of exoplanets. Dr. Lark is going to be a guest on the Maria Mitchell Association's Speaker Series...

This week host Joanna Roche talks with Dr. Rich Blundell of the Maria Mitchell Association. Joanna has Rich tell us about his second year here on Nantucket and all the things he has coming up this summer. Rich will stay busy with upcoming activities and events including his " Earth Story Walk " every Thursday at 2pm, the " Big History Night Talk " the history of our universe in...

Join Fiona Powers Ozyurt of the Maria Mitchell Association as she discusses Spica, a bright, binary star system in the constellation Virgo. To find Spica, first locate the Big Dipper and draw an imaginary line following the curve in the Dipper’s handle until you come to the bright orange star we discussed last week– Arcturus. We call this the “arc to Arcturus.” Now we must drive a “spike to Spica....

This week host Joanna Roche talks with photographer Henry Michaelis. Joanna finds out how Henry got to Nantucket and what sparked his interest in photography and video. Henry explains his love of surf photography and his special connection with nature. Henry also talks about his upcoming exhibit on Sunday May 28th from 5:30-7pm at 33 Washington Street. Check out his website to see his work at http...

Join Michele Woodland of the Maria Mitchell Association as she discusses the star Arcturus . Arcturus is a red giant star in the constellation Boötes. This reddish star can be found by following the curve of the handle of the Big Dipper, which is located high in the sky overhead after sunset. 

Join Fiona Powers Ozyurt of the Maria Mitchell Association as she discusses the Hercules constellation . To see Hercules, you will need to head outside after sunset and look for the Big Dipper. Now follow the curve of the handle to find the bright star Arcturus. Hercules is bordered by Arcturus, Lyra which contains the bright star Vega, and the head of Draco.

This week host Joanna Roche talks with Susie Tapley the founder of MAST . Joanna talks with Susie about how she came up with the idea of MAST and what the organization is all about. Susie explains that Nantucket Island, our oasis is a conduit for expressions of wellbeing, visionaries of practiced presence, and futures of normalized love and healing. Through this portal we can each meet transformat...

Join Michele Woodland of the Maria Mitchell Association as she discusses the constellation Gemini. Gemini is visible high in the Western Skies after sunset. The two most prominent stars in the constellation are Pollux and Castor, known as the Gemini twins. Mars is currently passing through Gemini, and the planet's relatively bright and red appearance makes it an excellent indicator to help lo...