A depiction of the 1833 Leonid meteor shower, produced from an engraving by Adolf Vollmy in 1889 for the Adventist book "Bible Readings for the Home Circle." Source: Wikimedia Commons

Starry-Eyed

A History of the Heavens

08.25.17

Why do we want to travel to the moon, to Mars, or beyond? We’re saluting this week’s total solar eclipse by looking at how Americans in the past have made sense of meteors, eclipses, and the stars.

Find a copy of the “First Moon Flights” club card and welcome letter from Pan Am, mentioned in this week’s episode, on Robert Venditti’s website.

astronomy; space exploration

Open Episode Transcript as PDF

Segments

The Great Dark Day

Brian, Ed and Joanne tell the tale of a Massachusetts day in 1780 when the sun didn’t seem to rise, and how contemporary science struggled to explain it.

Music:

Improv2 by Jahzzar
Prism Tone by Podington Bear
epoh by Ketsa

Enlightenment; astronomy; eclipse; religion

00:00:00 / 00:00:00

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

A woman in late 19th Century Kentucky sees meat falling from the skies, prompting scientific inquiry and popular ridicule. Former BackStory producer Jess Engebretson brings us the story.

Music:

Jardins du Luxembourg by Jahzzar
The Mountain by Podington Bear
Blossoming by Podington Bear
Little Dipper by Podington Bear

astronomy; meteorology; scientific research

00:00:00 / 00:00:00

Discovery of Pluto

Brian talks to novelist Michael Byers about the very down-to-earth tale of American ambition that raised Pluto to the heights of planetary status, and inspired his novel Percival’s Planet.

Music:

Siesta by Jahzzar

Pluto; astronomy; space exploration

00:00:00 / 00:00:00

In the mid-1960s, Pan-Am Airlines offered its customers the deal of the century – a chance to be on the first flight to the moon. Ed and Brian talk with two lucky listeners who signed up…and who are still waiting.

Music:

Pigalle by Jahzzar

astronomy; space exploration; the Moon; travel

00:00:00 / 00:00:00

Earthrise: Man’s New Dawn

Historian Robert Poole talks with Brian about the first picture of the earth from space. It was taken in 1968 by the Apollo 8 astronauts. The image of “earthrise” ushered in a profound shift in human perspective.

Music:

Backstairs by Podington Bear

Apollo 8; astronomy; photography; space exploration

00:00:00 / 00:00:00

Earthrise: Behind the Lens

Brian talks with Major General William Anders, the astronaut on the Apollo 8 mission who turned his camera on the “earthrise,” and learns first-hand what it’s like to see the earth as a whole.

Apollo 8; astronomy; photography; space exploration

00:00:00 / 00:00:00