The Star River Podcast

Can a star make a cookie and searching for techno- and bio-signatures to find signs of extraterrestrial life.

What do cosmic cookies, giant space spectrometers, and artificial intelligence in deep space have in common? They're all part of the daily work of Dr. Chenoa Tremblay, project scientist with the SETI Institute, Breakthrough Listen, and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO).

In this episode of The Star River Podcast,...

What happens when you leave the high-stakes, "level-10 emergencies" of political campaign management to find your center among the stars? In this episode, I sit down with Corrina Jaramillo-Feldman, Senior Public Information Officer for the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) VLA, VLBA, and ngVLA. Together, we navigate her fascinating, meandering journey from running statewide campaigns to translating the invisible, silent d...

Gather around the campfire, fellow Star River navigators! In this episode, we sit down with Signe Mason, an Operations Specialist at the world-renowned Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico and an astrophysics researcher simulating black holes at Northwestern University for part 2 of her journey down the River.

I continue my conversation with Signe, from the outdoor patio at the Capital Bar and Grill in Socorro, complete with interru...

Gather around the campfire, fellow Star River navigators! In this episode, we sit down with Signe Mason, an Operations Specialist at the world-renowned Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico and an astrophysics researcher simulating black holes at Northwestern University.

Recording live from the outdoor patio at the Capital Bar and Grill in Socorro, complete with interruptions, sirens, and train horns, we dive deep into the fascinatin...

What happens when two VLA workers get interviewed without warning in the parking lot of the VLA? Let's find out.

This was in the parking lot of the U.S. National Science Foundation Very Large Array without notice. After the hubbub of the open house had faded for the day, but right as people were starting to arrive for the Star Party and set up their telescopes, one of the workers telling people where to park yelled out, "hey, podcas...

You heard about Shane Baca in the previous episode, and now it's time to hear from Shane himself.

"When they cross the cattle guard out here on the way in, they gotta take their watch and they gotta turn it back forty years."

Pull up a chair to the campfire, grab a drink for our Ritual, and let's do a deep dive into what it takes to keep 27 (plus a spare) 240-ton radio telescope receiver dishes running, while also dealing wi...

Hello, fellow Navigators! Pull up a chair next to the campfire for a quick mid-stream check-in. My day job has been an absolute mountain of work this week, so I am letting our next full-length episode drift just a tiny bit further down the stream to get the proper editing and polish it deserves, launching next Tuesday morning instead.

This quick teaser gives you a behind-the-scenes preview of my the next episode of my special series...

You don't need an elite academic pedigree to have a meaningful relationship with the universe; you just have to be curious, dedicated, and a little bit crazy. Dr. Justin Linford shares his journey along the Star River with me, in person, at the Very Large Array in New Mexico.

For the very first time on The Star River Podcast, I packed up my gear and traveled 2,000 miles to the high desert of New Mexico for a live, face-to-face ...

Gather 'round the campfire, Navigators. Welcome back to the banks of the Star River!

After a six-week winter thaw, the current is officially moving again. In this special Season 2 teaser, I detail my recent 2,000-mile expedition into the stark, whisper-quiet high desert of New Mexico in search of the Enchanted Frequency.

From chasing the ghostly glow of the Zodiacal light under heavy, pristine dark skies to standing among the massive...

In this final "transition" episode, Eric (The Astropotamus) packs his bags and heads home from the Land of Enchantment. Returning with dozens of hours of audio from the deep heart of the Southwest, he pauses to reflect on the voices recorded, the connections made, and the shared Rituals that anchored this mission.

"I am a time traveler, and I'm leaving New Mexico not the same person who arrived."

Coming soon to the Star River:

• The...

In this special "transition" episode, Eric (The Astropotamus) packs his bags and heads for the Land of Enchantment. Before diving into interviews with the scientists of the Southwest, he pauses to bridge the gap between two worlds: the green, frost-nipped vineyards of Upstate New York and the red, silent dust of the Plains of San Agustin.

"I am a time traveler. By the time you hear my voice, I’m already standing in the hig...

Ever wondered how a karaoke machine can help you communicate with the International Space Station? Listen to this amazing story and find out!

In this expansive interview, I wade into the Star River with prolific astrophotographer and observatory operator Robert Lozano. We navigate a journey that spans decades - from Robert's childhood in San Antonio to his current role as a pioneer of remote deep-sky imaging.

The conversation begins ...

The Astropotamus is heading to the Land of Enchantment. By the time you hear this, I'll already be in the current - traveling from the vineyards of New York to the high desert of New Mexico. This mission isn't just about dark skies; it’s about the Plains of San Agustin, where radio waves from the distant Cosmos hit sensitive receivers planted across the ancient lakebed like weird, steel sunflowers.

This short briefing previews...

What does it feel like to fly a jet fighter at Mach 1 and realize your wingman is silhouetted against the brilliant, unpolluted glow of the Milky Way? In this episode, I sit down with Mike Weasner, a man whose life has been a high-velocity voyage through the cosmos.

From his early days as an astrophysicist to his time managing the Air Force Space Shuttle program, Mike has spent decades navigating what lies above. He shares the stagg...

Is our technology a bridge to the stars, or a back door into our private lives?

On this journey down the Star River, the current has led me to Josh at WLTechBlog - a digital nomad, technologist, and security expert who navigates the invisible currents of our online world.

We dive into the "code" of modern living, from the ethics of closed-source security cameras (and superior open-source firmware like Thingino) to the reality of life...

How do we listen to the five - and only five - messengers of the universe? Join astrophysicist Dr. Saavik Ford as we explore the high-energy heart of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and the shift into the Multi-Messenger era, all starting with a ritual glass of Nero di Troia.

In this expansive conversation, I'm joined by Dr. Ford, a professor at CUNY and a researcher at the American Museum of Natural History, for a journey that meander...

Sometimes, the best way to travel through time is to sit still under the stars. In this episode, I wade into the current with fellow traveler Greg Yancey for a masterclass in the backyard workflow.

An award-winning astrophotographer, Greg takes us through his transition from a permanent observatory dome to a high-performance mobile APO setup. We discuss how the act of capturing light - which has traveled for thousands of years only ...

On this journey down the Star River, I’m joined by Thomas Loupe, a creator who navigates the precise intersection of engineering, filmmaking, and music.

Known for his atmospheric electronic project First Sun and his sound design on Natural Selection II, Thomas has spent years "translating" the universe into frequencies we can actually feel.

We dive deep into his Return Void project and the philosophy of making the vast, silent ...

Do our best ideas truly come from the pub? Dr. Alfredo Carpineti - astrophysicist, IFLScience writer, and chair of Pride in STEM - certainly thinks so. Alfredo bridges the lab and the lounge to find the "invisible rainbows" that connect us all to the cosmos.

In this journey down the River, we explore the "Astroholic" spirit: the belief that if the universe can forge complex spirits in interstellar clouds, we can certainly uncover it...