September 18, 2012 8:51 pm

From the Audience at StarTalk Live: 9-14-12

Our guest blogger today is Stacey Severn, a fan who was in the audience at last Friday’s StarTalk Live at the Bell House. Stacey sent us this wonderful review of the show, along with some excellent pictures. (It must run in the family – we’ve used pictures taken by her son, Elliot, from previous StarTalk Live events.) You can see more of Stacey’s pictures on her Flickr page here. 

What a fantastic evening! The guests were wonderful, I really enjoyed the topic and the panel was amazing.

StarTalk’s popularity has skyrocketed (no pun intended) to the point where tickets for this performance sold out in an hour. Those of us who were lucky enough to beat the frenzy knew we were in for a real treat, and the evening did not disappoint. The announced panelists were Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, along with comedians Eugene Mirman, and Sarah Silverman. A show with any one of these people alone would have been amazing. Add to that comedian Jim Gaffigan and astrobiologist Dr. David Grinspoon and we had awesomeness times five.

Dr. Tyson and his guest scientist, Dr. David Grinspoon, were engaging, informative, and just watching their hand gestures could provide a full evening of entertainment! Amongst the laughs there was a lot of education going on.

We heard about Mars Curiosity and her payload of really cool equipment, we heard about missions taking place all around our solar system, what it would be like to visit Saturn’s moons, radiation, methane, and we applauded the human pioneering spirit. The audience had thoughtful questions ranging from “the blueberries on Mars” to what Mars sounds like. You’ll have to wait for the airing to hear the answers. Oh, and did I mention the laughs?

I love StarTalk’s format and personalities — and I can’t wait to see what surprises await us at the next one!!

Stacey also asked us to put in a plug for her observatory, so here is an excerpt from The Boothe Memorial Astronomical Society website:

The Boothe Memorial Astronomical Society was formed by a local group of professional and amateur astronomers in 1953, and its members have been studying our skies and educating people in the greater Bridgeport area for the past 50 years. Today’s society members actively pursue public education by hosting observatory tours and viewing sessions, open houses, “sidewalk astronomy”, telescope making classes and star-hopping nights, demonstrating the same passion for astronomy that its founding members shared with the public.

If you’re in the Bridgeport CT area, why not check them out?

We’re also including a couple of pictures by David Pietricola, another fan who was in the audience of the “awesome show” with his wife and “had a great time.” You can see David’s photos on his Flickr page here.

If you were in the audience at StarTalk Live at the Bell House 9/14/12 and would like to add your own memories or reviews, please leave them as comments below.

See you at the next StarTalk Live!