Book Club Edition: Diane Ackerman and “The Planets: A Cosmic Pastoral”

Book Club Edition: Diane Ackerman and “The Planets: A Cosmic Pastoral”

Author: The Planetary Society May 15, 2026 Duration: 51:18
Celebrated author and poet Diane Ackerman joins us for a lively conversation about the new edition of her wonderful collection. Carl Sagan described it as spectacularly good poetry.

Every week, Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science charts the human adventure from our own Solar System out to the distant cosmos. This isn't just a recap of headlines; it's a direct conversation with the people making discovery happen. Host Sarah Al-Ahmed guides these discussions, sitting down with the engineers plotting spacecraft trajectories, the scientists interpreting data from alien worlds, and the astronauts who have experienced orbit firsthand. The Planetary Society's own advocates and experts, like Bill Nye and Bruce Betts, frequently join in to offer their unique perspective, making complex topics both accessible and genuinely exciting. You'll hear the latest on robotic missions to Mars, the search for exoplanets, and the technology pushing our boundaries. Alongside these deep dives, the podcast includes lighter, regular segments designed to inform and entertain, turning abstract concepts into engaging stories. It’s a comprehensive audio journey for anyone curious about our place in the universe, offering both the grand vision of exploration and the detailed human stories behind it. Tune in to let your curiosity roam as far as the subjects covered in each episode of this essential science podcast.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science
Podcast Episodes
Do Aliens Speak Physics? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:44
Physicist Daniel Whiteson and cartoonist Andy Warner join Sarah Al-Ahmed to explore their new book, “Do Aliens Speak Physics?”
Ripples on the Cosmic Ocean [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:09
Historian Dagomar Degroot joins Planetary Radio to discuss his new book, “Ripples on the Cosmic Ocean: An Environmental History of Our Place in the Solar System,” which reveals how events across the Solar System have sha…
Book Club Edition: Space Craze by Margaret Weitekamp [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:18
Space Craze author Margaret Weitekamp of the National Air and Space Museum documents our fascination with all things space, as evidenced by the pop culture artifacts she lovingly oversees in the collection.
A Day of Action to save NASA science [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:17
Hundreds of advocates joined The Planetary Society and partner organizations in Washington, D.C., to urge Congress to protect NASA’s science budget. Hear from Ari Koeppel, Britney Schmidt, Bill Nye, Rep. Glenn Ivey, Marc…
Space Policy Edition: China’s growing space science ambitions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:53
If the United States is indeed in a space race with China, why are we abandoning space science programs across the Solar System? This question, posed by guest Maxwell Zhu in a recent op-ed co-authored by The Planetary So…
Perseverance finds potential biosignatures in Jezero Crater [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:22
NASA’s Perseverance rover has found potential biosignatures in Jezero Crater’s Bright Angel formation. Host Sarah Al-Ahmed speaks with Joel Hurowitz, associate professor of geosciences at Stony Brook University and lead…
Bill Nye: A star in Hollywood, a voice for NASA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:18
Bill Nye, CEO of The Planetary Society, celebrates his new star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and joins us to reflect on its meaning. We also receive the latest space policy updates as NASA faces significant budget chall…