SPACING OUT: Podcast guides backyard astronomer | Lifestyles

Hello, everyone. Hope you all have been having a great week despite the insanely hot temperatures we’ve been having.

I wanted to use this space to put a little spotlight on my podcast. You may occasionally see ads for it at the top of Page A3 in the newspaper.

One of my favorite things about astronomy is sharing it with others. I love watching little kids’ faces as they see up-close features on the Moon through a telescope for the first time. People of all ages are always astounded when they see the rings of Saturn. It just makes me happy seeing other people enjoy what I love.

Unfortunately, I can’t physically guide everyone with their own telescopes all at once. There may be a night or two later this summer or early fall when I host a telescope viewing. Stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, I’ve started a podcast that previously was on SoundCloud, and is now on Anchor and Spotify. Fittingly, it’s called The Backyard Astronomy Show. It’s a simple concept. I “point out” objects in the night sky that can easily be observed by anyone. There won’t be any confusing discussions about deep sky objects, like galaxies, that you’d hardly be able to see through your own telescope. (An exception would be made for the Andromeda Galaxy, for example, but that will come later in the year.)

My first podcast on Anchor/Spotify explained how you could see all of the bright planets lined up in the sky in the morning hours, and then I went into a little discussion about the first James Webb Space Telescope images.

In the second podcast, I took listeners on a virtual tour around the Moon as I aimed my telescope toward it. I described what I saw and things any amateur astronomer can see.

The third podcast, released this past Sunday, was centered on the Summer Triangle, a grouping of three stars that create a large asterism in the eastern half of the night sky.

Again, all objects that can easily be seen by anyone.

It is my hope that an interest in the night sky will prompt others to get involved in careers spanning the studies of science and astronomy. The next Clyde Tombaugh (the man who discovered Pluto) could be your son or daughter.

More scientists and astronomers — as well as engineers — will help our race as a whole better determine how our universe works, and we can use that knowledge to solidify humanity in our future journey beyond Earth.

I may not make a life-changing discovery, but I am more than happy to be an inspiration to those who someday might do just that.

You can listen to my podcast on Anchor/Spotify. New, 10-15-minute episodes drop every Sunday. Thank you for reading and listening!

Joe Malan is presentation editor and astronomy writer for the Enid News & Eagle, and hosts his weekly podcast, The Backyard Astronomy Show. Email him at [email protected].