When amateur astronomer Richard Carrington gazed through his telescope on the morning of September 1st, 1859, he noticed something weird about the surface of the sun -- it seemed to have clusters of dark spots. Later historians would recognize this as the earliest observation of a solar flare -- and a little less than 18 hours later, the associated coronal m ... Show More
May 9
CLASSIC:Hong Xiuquan: The Younger Brother of Jesus Christ Who Led a Bloody Rebellion in China
In this week's Classic episode: when the schoolteacher who would come to be called Hong Xiuquan first heard of the Christian religion, he wasn't particularly bowled over. However, when he had a nervous breakdown after failing his scholarly exams, he experienced a series of vision ... Show More
37m 47s
May 7
The Bizarre Saga of the Red Solo Cup
If you're from the United States, you'll instantly recognize the iconic red Solo cup. It's ubquitous at picnics, parties, sports events -- and often seen in TV shows and movies, so much so that the rest of the world covets these cups as "American souvenirs". So how on Earth did t ... Show More
39m 58s
May 5
The Day a Dalí Escaped From Prison
For decades, the infamous Rikers Island prison was home to a surprising artifact -- a drawing by none other than the world-renowned surrealist artist Salvado Dalí. At least, that is, until 2003... when a band of guards conspired to heist the drawing. In today's episode, Ben, Noel ... Show More
51m 52s
May 2022
When Our Star Erupts - The 1859 Solar Storm And More
In 1859, astronomer Richard Carrington was studying the Sun when he witnessed the most intense geomagnetic storm recorded in history. The storm, triggered by a giant solar flare, sent brilliant auroral displays across the globe causing electrical sparking and fires in telegraph s ... Show More
12m 11s
Feb 2024
Exploring solar eclipses through time
<p>This week on Planetary Radio, we delve into the evolution of humanity's relationship with one of our planet's most awe-inspiring phenomena: total solar eclipses. Ed Krupp, the director of Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, will share insights from the fascinating field of ar ... Show More
52m 8s
Oct 2021
SYMHC Classics: Tunguska Event
This 2018 episode covers an even from June 30, 1908, when at approximately 7:15am, the sky over Siberia lit up with what was described by witnesses as a massive fireball, or the sky engulfed in fire. For the last century, scientists have been trying to figure out exactly what hap ... Show More
26m 42s