Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures

About Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures

Listen to exciting, non-technical talks on some of the most interesting developments in astronomy and space science. Founded in 1999, the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures are presented on six Wednesday evenings during each school year at Foothill College, in the heart of California's Silicon Valley. Speakers include a wide range of noted scientists, explaining astronomical developments in everyday language. The series is organized and moderated by Foothill's astronomy instructor emeritus Andrew Fraknoi and jointly sponsored by the Foothill College Physical Science, Math, and Engineering Division, the SETI Institute, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, and the University of California Observatories (including the Lick Observatory.)

Publisher

Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures

Category

science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

20 Jun 2021

Latest episode

27 May 2026

Latest episodes

60 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   27 May 2026

   Why Do We Exist: The Nine Realms of the Universe that Make You Possible

   May 20, 2026 Dr, Hakeem Oluseyi (CEO, Astronomical Society of the Pacific) n his new book, Why Do We Exist, Dr. Oluseyi suggests that the story of our existence can be told as a passage through nine interwoven realms—each revealing a new layer of cosmic information. In this public talk, he introduces each of the realms, but then focuses on cosmic connections to the Middle Realm, where we humans live, and to the Realm of Life, where organisms flourish across the vastness of space. He explores ...

2. 

   15 Apr 2026

   The NASA Psyche mission: First Journey to an Unknown World

   Dr. Lindy Elkins-Tanton, Space Sciences Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley, Apr. 8, 2026. The NASA Psyche mission is on its way to orbit a small but immensely ancient world in our asteroid belt: A metallic object, the first humans will ever have visited. When our solar system was in its infancy, thousands of planetesimals (tiny planet-like objects) formed in less than a million years. Many planetesimals later melted, allowing metal cores to form inside rocky mantles. One of ...

3. 

   15 Mar 2026

   Pictures of Distant Worlds

   A nontechnical talk by Dr. Bruce Macintosh (University of California Observatories) Mar. 11, 2026 In the past three decades, more than 6000 planets have been discovered orbiting other stars. Advances in technology have allowed a handful of giant planets around other stars to be imaged directly. Dr. Macintosh tells us about the first-ever images of other solar systems — and the technology that has allowed us to discover them, such as the Gemini Planet Imager — as well as the future plane...

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

4,184,402

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.7 / 5

13 ratings

Spotify

4.9 / 5

53 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 59 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

45

Social presence

0

YouTube

93

Engagement

90

Contact Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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