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...

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...

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 leading astronomy tours, to getting lost in the dark of the canyon, to almost getting eaten by a bobcat — Dean is back from his tenure as Grand Canyon National Park's Astronomer in Residency with stories to tell! Hear not just these stories about the magnificent vastness of Grand Canyon skies, but also some details of roadside attractions to hit if you find yourself making the cross country drive out west.We are also joined by Night Sky Park Ranger at the Grand Canyon National Park,...

What does the billionaire "space" race mean for the future of exploration? And why do we say it in quotes?

Dean is headed off to spend some time as Astronomer in Residence at the Grand Canyon for the next few months, and previous holder of the position and artist, Tyler Nordgren (@NightSkyPark) joins to preview the experience.

We occasionally hear reports of Near Earth Asteroids and perhaps our memories of the movie Armageddon make us expect the worst. But just how near is "near"?

There's an awful lot of space to track and learn about in our skies and not enough astronomers and scientists to document and observe it all. That's where you come in! In this episode Dean and Anna explore some exciting explorations and discoveries in amateur and citizen astronomy.

There are many awe inspiring images from our universe; Apollo 8's Earthrise, the Hubble's Deepfields map of galaxies, Carl Sagan's commentary on the Pale Blue Dot image from Voyager 1. Some find them inspiring in their beauty. Others find them terrifying in their vastness and scale. Dean and Anna explore both camps of star gazers in this episode as well as the significance and stories behind some of these photos

Libraries have long been a great resource for access to knowledge and media you might not otherwise be able to afford. Thanks to a partnership with the Cincinnati Observatory (and Dean), star gazers in the Cincinnati region can add telescopes to that list of resources.

Astronomy meets true crime as Dean and Anna explore stories of stolen moon rocks and urban legends of precious telescope lenses going missing at their own observatory.

What does the billionaire "space" race mean for the future of exploration? And why do we say it in quotes?

In 2019 we all celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first humans to walk on the moon, but August 2021 brings us an arguably more impressive 50th anniversary first on the moon: driving.

Venus is often an easy to spot highlight as we get into the dog days of summer, but Deans got a few other lesser profiled happenings and constellations in the late summer skies that are worth pointing your telescope toward to provide tips for. We also dive deep into the mysterious Norwood UFO Report of 1949. Several carnival goers insisted they saw UFO activity happening all over the skies over Norwood, Ohio... but what was it really? We're also excited to welcome host of Infinity and Beyond , a

Dean's returned from his latest runaway eclipse chase back in June and has his report. Meanwhile, we are all endlessly fascinated by the mystery of black holes across our universe. In this episode, the team explores some of those questions like what happens if you fall in? How big a threat are they? We are also joined by Ohio State University PhD Candidate in Astronomy, Tharindu Jayasinghe and Professor of Astronomy at OSU, Todd Thompson to discuss their astonishing new discovery: the current

The summer months bring longer days with more sunlight and warm temperatures many of us love... but maybe not so much for astronomers uninterested in staying up all night. On this episode Dean and Anna discuss some of the pros and cons of summer stargazing as well as previews of what to look for in these coming months because there's always an eclipse to be chasing somewhere! We are also joined by co-host of Science Rules! with Bill Nye , and former Editor at Discover Magazine, Corey Powell (

From monkeys, to turtles, to dogs, and more (for better or worse) humans have used animals to test different aspects of space travel since its earliest days. This week, Dean and Anna discuss some of those missions along with the their pitches for what signs of life we are most likely to potentially discover within our own solar system as well as what they hope we might find some day. We are also joined by Head Keeper at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens , Cody Sowers to discuss their

We all want to believe in the possiblity of extra terrestrial life and there's lots of compelling UFO documentation and videos coming from the Pentagon these days... but what are the odds of actual contact with alien life in the near future? In this episode, Anna is ready to believe, while Dean, ever the astute man of science he is, explains some of his skepticism.

Dean and Anna continue their coverage and discussion of the Mars Perseverance Rover's exciting mission discussing its latest success: flight on another planets atmosphere! They offer their impressions of the Ingenuity Helicopter's first flight last month, the challenges of accomplishing such a feat, and what to expect moving forward.

Pink Moons, Red Moons, Blood Moons, Harvest Moons, and on and on... Just how many different "moons" are there? It seems there's an awful lot of names for allegedly unique full moons these days. On this episode Dean and Anna will explore all of these. They'll also layout some upcoming eclipses so you know what to expect and where to view them.

Dean and Anna are joined by Sampling Science Systems Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (and Cincinnati raised!), Robert Moeller . He shares some of his journey from his younger days in Cincinnati suburb, Reading, Ohio to working at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory as an engineer for the Mars Perseverance Rover mission. Together they celebrate the succesful landing of Perseverance in late February, while taking a look forward to what's next for the misison.

Dean and Anna are joined by CEO of COSI and host of the new show from WOSU public media QED with Dr. B , Dr. Frederic Bertley. He shares how COSI (Center of Science and Industry) in Columbus has continued to inspire young minds throughout this past year of pandemic and how wanting more time on his electronic Colece Football handheld game as a child started his own journey into the world of science education.