Jay Shaffer

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 038 Voyage to the Center of the Galaxy. In this episode of StarCast, hosts Jay Shaffer and Mike Lewenski explore three conflicting scientific studies that challenge our understanding of the Milky Way's center, debating whether it houses a traditional supermassive black hole or a dense core of fermionic dark matter.

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 038

Voyage to the Center of the Galaxy. In this episode of StarCast, hosts Jay Shaffer and Mike Lewenski explore three conflicting scientific studies that challenge our understanding of the Milky Way's center, debating whether it houses a traditional supermassive…

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 037 Go Dark Hosts Jay Shaffer and Mike Lewinski discuss the importance of preserving pristine night skies while highlighting International Dark Sky Week, occurring April 13th to 20th, 2026, through community advocacy, citizen science, and local astronomical events. Episode Links:  International Dark Sky Week (official):  Crestone Dark Sky :   Globe at Night App: Sky Quality Meter:

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 037

Go Dark Hosts Jay Shaffer and Mike Lewinski discuss the importance of preserving pristine night skies while highlighting International Dark Sky Week, occurring April 13th to 20th, 2026, through community advocacy, citizen science, and local astronomical events.…

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 036 Tracking Space Junk Hosts Jay Shaffer and Mike Lewinski discuss the latest solar activity, lunar events, and a groundbreaking new method for tracking re-entering space junk using seismic sensors. Episode Links: Dragon Re-entry: Space Junk Paper: Global Meteor Network:

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 036

Tracking Space Junk Hosts Jay Shaffer and Mike Lewinski discuss the latest solar activity, lunar events, and a groundbreaking new method for tracking re-entering space junk using seismic sensors. Episode Links: Dragon Re-entry: Space Junk Paper: Global Meteor…

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 035 The Mystery of "M" In this episode of Starcast, hosts Jay Shaffer and Mike Lewinski discuss recent solar activity, upcoming celestial events, and the history of astronomical catalogs such as the Messier and New General Catalog. Episode Links:

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 035

The Mystery of "M" In this episode of Starcast, hosts Jay Shaffer and Mike Lewinski discuss recent solar activity, upcoming celestial events, and the history of astronomical catalogs such as the Messier and New General Catalog. Episode Links:

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 034 Winter is Here. In this episode of Starcast, hosts Jay Shaffer and Mike Lewinski discuss current space weather and lunar alignments before sharing expert tips and technical strategies for successful stargazing and astrophotography during the cold winter months.

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 034

Winter is Here. In this episode of Starcast, hosts Jay Shaffer and Mike Lewinski discuss current space weather and lunar alignments before sharing expert tips and technical strategies for successful stargazing and astrophotography during the cold winter months.

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 033 MACHOs and Micro-lensing In this Starcast, MACHOs and microlensing are the primary tools discussed for mapping the cold, dark, and lonely objects that make up the majority of the universe. Mike Lewinski explains that while traditional gravitational lenses are stable over centuries, microlensing involves smaller objects like isolated black holes or free-floating planets that temporarily brighten distant stars. Episode Links:

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 033

MACHOs and Micro-lensing In this Starcast, MACHOs and microlensing are the primary tools discussed for mapping the cold, dark, and lonely objects that make up the majority of the universe. Mike Lewinski explains that while traditional gravitational lenses are…

YouTube video by Skylapser $85 TeSeek Star-Tracker Review

Amazing $85 Star-tracker: youtu.be/7ERAH_QEsQA?...

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 032 Destination: Moon! In this episode of Starcast, hosts Jay Shaffer and Mike Lewinski discuss current space weather and a rare triple lunar alignment before diving into the ambitious 2026 lunar exploration schedule and the significant technical and human challenges of establishing a presence on the moon. Episode Links: Lunar Radiation: For All Mankind: Solar Sintering:

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 032

Destination: Moon! In this episode of Starcast, hosts Jay Shaffer and Mike Lewinski discuss current space weather and a rare triple lunar alignment before diving into the ambitious 2026 lunar exploration schedule and the significant technical and human…

Full real-time video of the Jan. 2 Falcon 9 launch from Tres Piedras, NM.

An illegal undeclared war in our hemisphere was not on my Bingo card. #trumpwarpig

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 031 "Essential Equipment"  This episode of Starcast features Mike Lewinski and Jay Shaffer discussing an incoming G2-G3 solar storm, the upcoming Geminid meteor shower, the discovery of life-precursor sugars like glucose in the Bennu asteroid samples, and sharing their favorite astrophotography equipment, including a sky quality meter and a budget star tracker, for a holiday gift guide. Episode Links: Carrington Event:

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 031

"Essential Equipment"  This episode of Starcast features Mike Lewinski and Jay Shaffer discussing an incoming G2-G3 solar storm, the upcoming Geminid meteor shower, the discovery of life-precursor sugars like glucose in the Bennu asteroid samples, and sharing…

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 030  Meteorites and "Wrongs" This episode of Starcast, recorded on the anniversary of the first known person to be injured by a falling meteorite, covers an active space weather forecast featuring Sunspot 4294, news of a supermoon and the Geminids, and a deep dive into how to distinguish actual meteorites from "meteor-wrongs" using four key tests and the work of the New Mexico Meteor Array…

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 030

 Meteorites and "Wrongs" This episode of Starcast, recorded on the anniversary of the first known person to be injured by a falling meteorite, covers an active space weather forecast featuring Sunspot 4294, news of a supermoon and the Geminids, and a deep dive…

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 029 Hubble Tension This week's Starcast dives into the Hubble Tension, exploring how conflicting measurements of the universe's expansion rate—one from the early cosmos and one from the local universe—challenge the standard model of cosmology and hint at new physics. Episode Links:

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 029

Hubble Tension This week's Starcast dives into the Hubble Tension, exploring how conflicting measurements of the universe's expansion rate—one from the early cosmos and one from the local universe—challenge the standard model of cosmology and hint at new…

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 028 We've Got Green! (Northern Lights) The Starcast for the week of November 16, 2025, covers the past week's spectacular geomagnetic storm and aurora display, the upcoming Leonid meteor shower peak, and the successful launch of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket on the Escapade mission to Mars. Episode Links: Mike's Time-Lapse: Jay's Time-Lapse:      

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 028

We've Got Green! (Northern Lights) The Starcast for the week of November 16, 2025, covers the past week's spectacular geomagnetic storm and aurora display, the upcoming Leonid meteor shower peak, and the successful launch of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket on the…

YouTube video by Skylapser Northern Lights over Taos New Mexico USA Nov. 11-12, 2025

Northern Lights over Taos New Mexico Time-lapse: youtu.be/pG7XphglrhU?...

A few more

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 027 Dark Energy This week's Starcast dives deep into groundbreaking research suggesting the universe's expansion is actually slowing down, prompting a major reconsideration of the nature and evolution of dark energy away from the standard cosmological model. Episode Links:

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 027

Dark Energy This week's Starcast dives deep into groundbreaking research suggesting the universe's expansion is actually slowing down, prompting a major reconsideration of the nature and evolution of dark energy away from the standard cosmological model. Episode…

Bolide meteor from last night

"We Live in the Sky" Skyscapes by photographer Jay Shaffer www.taosnews.com/events/#!/de...

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 026 Dark Mass Mike and Jay discuss recent astronomical observations, including the departure of Comet 3I/Atlas and Taurid meteor activity, before diving into a detailed overview of dark matter, its historical discovery, observational evidence through gravity, and its inferred distribution in the universe as a cosmic web. Episode Links: Taurid threat: Dark Matter:

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 026

Dark Mass Mike and Jay discuss recent astronomical observations, including the departure of Comet 3I/Atlas and Taurid meteor activity, before diving into a detailed overview of dark matter, its historical discovery, observational evidence through gravity, and…

The 2026 "We Live in the Sky" Calendars Are Here!
Featuring a collection of my favorite skyscapes from the past year. From dramatic sunsets to cloud-swept horizons, these photos capture the beauty and majesty we often miss.
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Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 025 Candle Stars The podcast episode discusses how the pioneering work of Henrietta Swan Leavitt on Cepheid variables—giant pulsating stars whose period of pulsation directly relates to their true luminosity—provided the first reliable standard candle for astronomers like Edwin Hubble to measure vast cosmic distances and understand the expansion of the universe.

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 025

Candle Stars The podcast episode discusses how the pioneering work of Henrietta Swan Leavitt on Cepheid variables—giant pulsating stars whose period of pulsation directly relates to their true luminosity—provided the first reliable standard candle for…

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 024 Wayback Machine This week Mike and Jay discuss a new study about the early, warmer-than-expected universe, which leads to a deep dive into the properties of cosmic microwave background radiation and listening to the Big Bang. Also, a launch of Kuiper satellites, and an update on space weather and the night sky.

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 024

Wayback Machine This week Mike and Jay discuss a new study about the early, warmer-than-expected universe, which leads to a deep dive into the properties of cosmic microwave background radiation and listening to the Big Bang. Also, a launch of Kuiper satellites,…

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 023 KEEP IT REAL! Mike and Jay discuss the profound importance of direct observation in astronomy. The hosts share personal anecdotes, emphasizing how witnessing phenomena like the Orion Nebula or space launches firsthand provides an undeniable, grounding connection to the reality of the universe. The episode also explores the week's celestial events, including a Super Harvest Moon and a close asteroid flyby. Episode Links: NMPBS ¡COLORES!: Thomas Ashcraft

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 023

KEEP IT REAL! Mike and Jay discuss the profound importance of direct observation in astronomy. The hosts share personal anecdotes, emphasizing how witnessing phenomena like the Orion Nebula or space launches firsthand provides an undeniable, grounding connection…

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 022 This episode of StarCast discusses the intersection of astronomy and wildlife, revealing how migrating birds, sea turtles, and even dung beetles use stellar navigation—like the North Star and the Milky Way—to find their way at night. The hosts also cover current space weather, celestial events like the Zodiacal Light, and issue a call to action for "lights out" to protect these migrating species from the dangers of increasing light pollution. EPISODE LINKS:    

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 022

This episode of StarCast discusses the intersection of astronomy and wildlife, revealing how migrating birds, sea turtles, and even dung beetles use stellar navigation—like the North Star and the Milky Way—to find their way at night. The hosts also cover current…

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 021 Balloons in Space! This week, hosts Jay Shaffer and Mike Lewinski discuss the potential for a G1-class solar storm and what's visible in the night sky. The episode also delves into astronomical balloons, their scientific applications, and the citizen science projects that use them for research. Episode Links: Younger Dryad Impact Hypothesis articles - ASTHROS - Fort Sumner launches - …

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 021

Balloons in Space! This week, hosts Jay Shaffer and Mike Lewinski discuss the potential for a G1-class solar storm and what's visible in the night sky. The episode also delves into astronomical balloons, their scientific applications, and the citizen science…

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 020 Fun with Comets! On this week's StarCast, join hosts Jay Shaffer and Mike Lewinski as they discuss comets!. They'll also review the week's best celestial viewing,  including a potential G1 or G2 class geomagnetic storm that may produce aurorae, and a newly discovered comet named SWAN25B. Then, they'll dive deep into the world of comets, explaining what they are, where they come from, how they're named, and how to best observe them.

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 020

Fun with Comets! On this week's StarCast, join hosts Jay Shaffer and Mike Lewinski as they discuss comets!. They'll also review the week's best celestial viewing,  including a potential G1 or G2 class geomagnetic storm that may produce aurorae, and a newly…

Yes, yes he is!

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 019 Far Out! Join hosts Jay Shaffer and Mike Lewinski as they discuss the week in space, including a geomagnetic storm and a total lunar eclipse. They also explore the vastness of space by explaining astronomical distances, from light seconds to light years and beyond. Episode Links: › wiki › Astronomical_unit     

Deep Sage Nine Starcast Episode 019

Far Out! Join hosts Jay Shaffer and Mike Lewinski as they discuss the week in space, including a geomagnetic storm and a total lunar eclipse. They also explore the vastness of space by explaining astronomical distances, from light seconds to light years and…

The battle of our day is no longer about Democrats versus Republicans or left versus right. The choice right now is democracy or dictatorship. And we're sliding faster than I ever thought possible into the latter. Everyone must choose which side they’re on. - Robert Reich