A canopy of stars in the night sky is more than breathtaking. Starlight is also an important tool that astronomers use to study our universe. But the growth of artificial light and light pollution are creating dramatic changes to the nighttime environment. Let your eyes adjust to the dark as we travel to a dark sky reserve to gaze upon an increasingly rare view of the Milky Way and explore what we lose when darkness disappears.  

Guests:

Kim ArcandVisualization scientist & emerging tech lead, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and author of “Light: The Visible Spectrum and Beyond“.

Don JolleyTeacher of Math and Sciences at the Bolinas School in Marin, California who has been leading dark sky tours for three decades.

Christopher KybaInterdisciplinary Geographic Information Sciences Research Fellow at Ruhr University Bochum.

Descripción en español

Featuring music by Dewey Dellay and Jun Miyake

Originally aired July 8, 2024

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2026 Webby Award Nominee
for our three part series on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

Big Picture Science is an immersive radio show and podcast that reveals the unexpected connections in science.

Our Skeptic Check episodes take a critical look at extraordinary science claims and pseudoscience.

Don’t settle for a science snapshot. Get the big picture. 

Hosted By

Molly Bentley Executive Producer and Co-Host, Big Picture Science  

Seth Shostak Producer and Co-Host, Big Picture Science
Senior Astronomer, SETI Institute

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