Author, astrophysicist, folklorist, and science communicator Dr. Moiya McTier guides Dylan through the galaxy, and along the way reveals why she loves space so much, how folklore helps people understand things bigger than themselves, and the origins of her award-winning book, Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy.

MORE: If this conversation really got you into thinking about space and mythology, Moiya will be teaching a facts-based fictional worldbuilding course online with us starting May 14. Use code GALAXY20 at signup to get 20% off the class when you sign up here. 

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This site, and the enormous telescope that sits on it, is loved and lost to both scientists and everyday Puerto Ricans.

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/arecibo-observatory

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Friend of the show Amir Siraj tells us the wild tale of his search for an interstellar object – a journey that led the astrophysicist to the bottom of the ocean floor.

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Today the story of how a street lamp, a tangle with municipal government, and a love of the stars led a man to Goblin Valley, Utah a “dark sky certified” place for lovers of the night sky.

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/goblin-valley-state-park

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Take a trip to a hostel in Iceland to visit the country’s last Big Mac, where the burger’s existence  unfolds a story about economics and national identity. 

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/iceland-mcdonalds

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Atlas Obscura writer Roxanne Hoorn brings us the story of an extraordinary relationship between people and killer whales. And, through conversation with Dylan, we learn how to better cohabitate as species on this planet. 

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/killer-whales-work-with-humans

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LeVar Burton presents SOUND DETECTIVES – a funny, engaging, and thought provoking podcast that invites elementary school-aged kids to explore the magic and mystery of sound.

Equal parts fun and informative, SOUND DETECTIVES encourages listeners to engage with the sound mysteries that surround us, while unlocking the door to people and cultures around the globe. Join the team on this semi-improvised comedy caper, and help return the mystery sounds before the world falls silent!

Listen to SOUND DETECTIVES on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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We go to Fayerweather Island, off the coast of Connecticut, and get the story of Kate Moore, one of the first recorded woman lighthouse keepers. Over several decades, she poured her heart and soul into a task and defied common expectations of what a keeper should be.

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We go to Deep River, Connecticut – where the story of a botched bank robbery more than 100 years ago has taken on a life of its own as an urban legend.

MORE: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-grave-of-xyz-deep-river-connecticut

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The largest theater pipe organ in the world lives in a restaurant in Mesa, Arizona. Phenomenal musicians play requests while diners feast on pizza.

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/organ-stop-pizza

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Dylan sits down with guest Blake Pfeil about what inspired him to begin exploring abandoned spots, what those spaces have taught him about escapism, sobriety and the sometimes blurry line between real and unreal that he finds there. 

MORE: Blake is an artist and adventurer. He’s also the creator and host of the podcast “Abandoned: All-American Ruins.” Check it out here.

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We visit a quaint Dutch fishing village and attempt to unravel the mystery that unfolded there… a mystery that involved strange and curious letters and a voyage to the other side of the world. 

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mr-kaors-portrait

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On our second day with Sporkful senior producer Andres O’Hara, we see what happens when invasive creatures that have made their way to the US refuse to leave… even when they’re slow and slimy. 

MORE: If you like these episodes, and are looking for more surprising and fascinating food stories, check out The Sporkful, which just released a new series called Deep Dish, which looks at the surprising history of dishes like bagels, tacos al pastor, and tamales.

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With the help from a podcast friend (Andres O’Hara of The Sporkful), we go inside one of the busiest airports on earth. And we find out the fate of all the food that gets confiscated by customs. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t get eaten. 

If you like these episodes, and are looking for more surprising and fascinating food stories, check out The Sporkful, which just released a new series called Deep Dish, which looks at the surprising history of dishes like bagels, tacos al pastor, and tamales.

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Dylan braves one of New York’s most touristy sites to bring listeners the lesser-known history of Madame Tussaud’s origins.

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For years, contributions from Black Americans to public spaces like beaches and museums have been hard to detect. Places Editors Jonathan and Michelle Cassidy take us to New Jersey’s Chicken Bone Beach and Chicago’s Field Museum to highlight a couple of these stories.

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We visit Jerry’s Hat Museum, where a retiree has turned to an old chapel to house a collection of thousands of hats, pens, odds, ends and other artifacts from his Illinois hometown.

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/jerrys-hat-museum-illinois

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Listeners share their stories of places that made them feel at home, from the beaches of Australia to a ubiquitous coffee shop. WE WANT YOUR STORIES! We’re working on a new slate of episodes that will feature listener stories, and want to hear yours.  Tell us about your...

The Hotel Theresa in Harlem, New York played a pivotal role in the influential neighborhood’s cultural identity.

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The founders of this prison in Philadelphia aimed to revolutionize incarceration for the better - and unintentionally created new horrors.  

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/eastern-state-penitentiary

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A producer revisits her hometown (Houston) and goes to the Buffalo Soldiers Museum, learning about the contributions of Black members of the armed forces and one man in particular, who started the collection years ago in his garage. 

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This giant rock has been used in the coronation of every English monarch since the 1300s, but is it authentic? Or could the real one be in a Scottish bar? We parse through the evidence and debate!

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/glasgows-stone-of-destiny

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We visit the misnamed “world’s loneliest house” and visit the flocks of puffins who live there. Some people want to eat them, some want to protect them. And these two groups collide here. 

If you want to learn more about the puffin situation in the Westman Islands, check out our episode called Puffin Patrol – about a community that sweeps the streets each night looking for lost pufflings and helping them find their way back to the beach.

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ellidaey-island-lodge

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We take a hike up Great Blue Hill in Boston and get more than a stunning view of the city. A visit to the peak reveals the story of a weather observatory with the longest continuous daily weather record in the United States.

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A public health crisis plagued the Midwest until a simple solution was introduced to a ubiquitous cooking ingredient. 

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A mysterious religious community founded by an insurance agent-turned spiritual leader in northern Italy spent 15 years constructing an underground temple covered in intricate paintings, mosaics, trippy colors and images inspired by Roman, Greek and Egyptian mythology. 

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/temple-of-damanhur

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Award-winning chef Sean Sherman, aka the Sioux Chef, has dedicated his Minneapolis restaurant to decolonized food and honoring indigenous meal traditions 

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/owamni

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Mexico City is known for its museum and art scene. The collection at El Museo del Juguete Antiguo – The Antique Toy Museum – encourages visitors to lean into their imaginations – and reflect on the rich history and culture in this city.

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We go to south Florida and hear the story of a family that took a gamble on a humble roadside stand that blossomed into a fruit emporium and community staple. 

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/robert-is-here

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This collection, preserved by the United States Library of Congress, features locks of hair from cultural icons from Beethoven to General Ulysses S. Grant.

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