Star Stories with Ian Lauer

About Star Stories with Ian Lauer

Retelling ancient star myths and uncovering the knowledge within them. Every culture that has ever existed looked up at the same sky. The same Orion. The same Pleiades. The same river of stars cutting across the darkness. And almost every one of them, whether separated by oceans, language, or centuries, looked at them, and told a story about what they saw. Stories about hunters and lovers and gods and monsters. Stories that survived wars, migrations, and the collapse of entire civilizations. Stories that were passed down, generation after generation, for thousands of years. Star Stories brings those stories back to life. Each episode takes a constellation, a star, or a region of the night sky, and retells the ancient myths and legends that human cultures built around it. The storytelling is immersive and narrative, retold in a modern format. At the end, we decode what information these cultures were embedding into the story. From the deserts of Ancient Egypt to the frozen lands of the Nordic people, we tell the stories from cultures around the world, to reconnect you to the night sky. Hosted by Ian Lauer. A Stargazer Studios production.

Publisher

Ian Lauer

Category

history · science · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

31 May 2026

Latest episode

9 Nov 2026

Latest episodes

22 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   9 Nov 2026

   Solar Eclipse | The Eclipse that Ended a War

   There's a really old story, told by the Greek historian Herodotus, about two armies in a multi-year war. Mid-battle, a total solar eclipse occurs. According to Herodotus, both sides stopped fighting, and the eclipse ended the war in a peace deal. And Herodotus has a nickname: the father of lies. So the big question is: did this battle even happen at all?

2. 

   2 Nov 2026

   1770 Solar Storm | Star Stories Notebook

   Did Captain James Cook witness a solar storm bigger than the famous Carrington Event of 1859? In this episode, we explore a new paper that says this may be the case. It explores a Chinese chronicle that documents a massive solar storm from 1770, and argues that it may be the biggest solar storm ever documented. This is a new format for me called "Star Stories Notebook". During my research into star myths, I come across a lot of interesting things that don't fit into a typical star story...but I still find them fascinating. And I figured if I found it cool, you would too!

3. 

   26 Oct 2026

   Algol | The Demon Star

   Tonight, we're looking at the constellation Perseus. In that constellation, he's said to be holding the head of Medusa, and the eye of Medusa is a star that blinks - a star called Algol, also known as the Demon Star. It's changing brightness was first discovered in the 1700s. But a team of researchers believe the ancient Egyptians were aware of, and tracked, the variability of Algol's brightness. In this episode, we retell the story of how Perseus obtained the head of Medusa. And we'll explore why this star has such negativity associated with it...because who knows, maybe there's a reason why the ancient Egyptians were tracking it.

Reach and audience

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

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

10 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

16 ratings

Contact Star Stories with Ian Lauer

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

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

Shows with a similar audience

• 

  The Actual Astronomy Podcast

• 

  StarTalk Radio

• 

  AWESOME ASTRONOMY

• 

  Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!