Where is the border between sky and space? What about between sky and land? And why we can't hold air? The answers to these questions are scientific but it turns out they’re also philosophical and a little bit mysterious! In this episode from 2020, we’re joined by anthropologist Hugh Raffles, an author and professor at The New School, and astronomer John O'Meara, chief scientist at theKeck Observatory. And we have special scoring by cellistZoë Keating.
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Ideas about where the sky ends and space begins depend on perspective--different scientists use different definitions. Astronomer John O'Meara helps walk us through the various ways to look at it. And while the boundary between sky and land certainly seems more firm, there are times when our experience of that dividing line can be deceiving.
We'll also learn about some of the things floating in the air around and above us--millions of insects we barely notice and didn't know anything about until the 1920s. Hugh Raffles details these discoveries in his bookInsectopedia, and shares some of the fascinating information with kids here. The music of cellist Zoë Keating infuses this episode. We commissioned her to score the episode to help give our listeners yet another way to experience a changing perspective. You can find more of her music here.
