Looking Up

Dean Regas

Join Dean Regas, astronomer, author, and space expert on a journey through the stars! Guests from all over the globe bring their knowledge and passion about today’s latest scientific discoveries and advancements. From eclipses to supernovas, from rockets to rovers; there’s a whole universe to explore! Dean is the author of “How to Teach Grown-Ups About Pluto” and “100 Things to See in the Night Sky” and was the longtime host of PBS' Stargazers television program. Looking Up is a production of Cincinnati Public Radio.

  • 18 minutes 55 seconds
    Ancient Martian microbes left behind a chemical "fingerprint" (with Dr. Katie Stack Morgan)
    Last fall, NASA announced that it found something incredible in a rock on Mars. A core sample obtained by the Mars Perseverance rover discovered a potential biosignature. In other words, a potential sign of ancient life on Mars. Dean Regas chats with Kathryn Stack Morgan, Perseverance project scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, about this chemical "fingerprint."
    10 April 2026, 3:07 pm
  • 18 minutes 26 seconds
    Searching for Life in Mars' Watery Past (with Dr. Andy Czaja)
    What was the planet Mars like in the past? Was it a dry desolate world like the one we see today, or was it a watery oasis filled with oceans, lakes, and rushing rivers? Was it Earthlike? Dean Regas chats with University of Cincinnati Professor of Geosciences, and NASA Advisory Board Member, Dr. Andy Czaja, to find out more.
    27 March 2026, 5:44 pm
  • 17 minutes 12 seconds
    Somewhere Over the Moonbow (with Jeff Pfaller)
    What is a moonbow, and what does it take to get a picture of one? And do rare events in the night sky lose their appeal after you've seen a bunch of them? Dean chats with Jeff Pfaller, astro-photographer and author of "Dark Skies: Rare Phenomena in America’s Public Lands" to learn more.
    13 March 2026, 4:27 pm
  • 15 minutes 43 seconds
    How a 1925 Airship Crash Shaped an Ohio Town (with Kendall Crawford)
    What might it be like to watch an alien spacecraft fall from the sky? Residents of Ava, Ohio, in 1925 experienced something close to this, when the USS Shenandoah, a naval airship, crashed down on rural farmland. Dean Regas chats with Ohio News Room journalist, Kendall Crawford, after her visit to Ava's mobile museum. We want to hear from you!Send us your thoughts on this episode at [email protected] or post them on social media using #lookinguppodcast
    27 February 2026, 5:49 pm
  • 16 minutes 16 seconds
    Eating Like an Astronaut (with Mark Borison)
    How do you eat in space? Simple everyday chores like sleeping or going to the bathroom take on all new challenges when you're weightless and floating in mid-air. Dean is joined by Mark Borison, Host of The Jungle Jims Podcast to do a space food taste test.
    13 February 2026, 9:14 pm
  • 15 minutes 56 seconds
    Early Astrophotography was Controversial (with Anika Burgess)
    The question seems completely absurd to us in the 21st century: should we use cameras to help with astronomical research? Well, of course. Why wouldn’t we? But in the early 20th century, this was a heated debate that echoed in the domes of many established observatories around the world. So when did the camera really outshine the eye for documenting things in space? Dean Regas chats with Anika Burgess, author of Flashes of Brilliance: The Genius of Early Photography and How it Transformed Art, Science, and History, to learn more.
    30 January 2026, 5:38 pm
  • 18 minutes 39 seconds
    Trappist-1 is Not Like Our Sun (with Dr. Néstor Espinoza)
    The universe is enormous and time to observe it is limited. This means planet-hunters have to be extra picky in their search for habitable worlds. Dean chats with Dr. Néstor Espinoza, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute who has his eye on one specific star system, Trappist-1.
    16 January 2026, 7:48 pm
  • 16 minutes 53 seconds
    The Martian Craze of the Gilded Age (with David Baron)
    Mars and Martians. They go together in the public's mind. The Earthling fascination with "alien invaders" goes back a long time. But why? And what does it say about all of us here on Earth? Dean explores this cultural phenomenon with David Baron, author of "The Martians."
    2 January 2026, 5:32 pm
  • 18 minutes 13 seconds
    FROM THE ARCHIVE: Space 2 Inspire (with Dr. Sian Proctor)
    Revisiting a favorite from 2025: Dean chats with Inspiration4 astronaut and artist, Dr. Sian Proctor about seeing Earth from outer space, and her book, "Earthlight, The Power of Earthlight and the Human Perspective."Send us your thoughts at [email protected] or post them on social media using #lookinguppodcastFind Us Online: Twitter: @lookinguppod @deanregas, Instagram: @917wvxu @deanregas, Tiktok: @cincinnatipublicradio @astronomerdean, Episode transcript: www.wvxu.org/podcast/looking-up, More from Dean: www.astrodean.com
    19 December 2025, 5:21 pm
  • 13 minutes 29 seconds
    FROM THE ARCHIVE: How will the universe end? (with Dr. Katie Mack)
    This holiday season, Dean Regas visits a favorite episode of Looking Up, featuring astrophysicist Dr. Katie Mack. They discuss how all of this might end: could it be a crunch, a freeze or a rip?
    5 December 2025, 6:08 pm
  • 15 minutes 31 seconds
    The Forgotten Water on Venus (with Dr. Rakesh Mogul)
    Venus is close-by and similar in size to Earth, but until recently, we couldn’t tell much about it. Dr. Rakesh Mogul, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, at Cal Poly Pomona took another look at old Venus data to potentially change what we know about our sister planet. Dean chats with Dr. Mogul to unravel the mystery.
    21 November 2025, 9:37 pm
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