Backyard astronomy, built one decision at a time.
Cosmos Safari follows astronomy from the backyard outward, pairing conversational interviews with detailed looks at tools, observing spaces, and public outreach. Its episodes favor working knowledge: concrete pads, roll-off roofs, portable telescopes, Hyperstar optics, and the logistics behind showing the sky to other people.
PRESS PLAY
Cosmos Safari is a show about astronomy as a lived, hands-on practice. It spends time with the equipment, the spaces, and the people that turn interest in the night sky into repeatable observing. The conversations are relaxed, but they are not vague. A backyard observatory episode with Mark Zuck lingers on the pieces that determine whether a setup will work years later: concrete pads, pier mounts, roof tracks, delivery access, adjustment tolerance, and the permanence of choices set into concrete. That practical streak gives the show much of its identity. It is interested in beauty, but also in wheels, brackets, trailers, ladders, glass, focus, and field of view. The outreach conversation with Kevin Lagore shows another side of the same ethic. Public astronomy is presented as education, entertainment, logistics, and judgment all at once. A large telescope may thrill a crowd, but moving it, storing it, setting it up in darkness, and choosing the right event for it are part of the job. The Starizona episode brings that same grounded curiosity to Hyperstar and astrophotography at F/2. Steve Koenig and Scott Tucker explain why fast imaging changes the learning curve, how field of view shapes a target, and why a familiar SCT can become a flexible tool rather than a single-purpose instrument. Cosmos Safari is strongest when it lets experienced astronomy people talk through their decisions in detail. The result is a show that feels close to the workshop, the trade-floor booth, the star party, and the backyard pad. It suits listeners who enjoy cosmic scale but also want to know how the observing actually happens. There is plenty of wonder here, yet the wonder is carried by practical competence. The universe is treated as accessible, but never effortless.
Made for: Cosmos Safari is for amateur astronomers, astrophotographers, telescope shoppers, outreach volunteers, and space-curious listeners who enjoy practical detail. It especially suits people who like hearing experienced hobbyists explain what works in the field.
What sets it apart: The show stands apart by grounding space enthusiasm in real observing infrastructure: sheds, mounts, optics, trailers, public events, and hard-earned setup choices. Its interviews make astronomy feel less like distant spectacle and more like a craft people build around their lives.
The Cosmos Safari podcast co-hosts David Farina and Rob Webb take listeners on a journey to explore the depths of science's current understanding of the cosmos around us. The Universe is closer than you think!
A telescope mirror stays rock-solid while you learn why ten-second mistakes beat three-minute ones.
Press play if you want
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A hands-on look at backyard observatories, from delivery tricks to the roof track that makes them work.
Cosmos Safari reads like a practical tour of Stoltzfus Structures observatories, with Dave Farina and Mark Zuck moving from earlier project history into delivery, concrete pads, telescope piers, and the roof track itself.
A practical look at astronomy outreach, from public education to the logistics of moving a 28-inch telescope.
Cosmos Safari centers astronomy outreach through Kevin Lagore, with Dave Farina framing him as a steady presence in the community and a notable voice in the astronomy world.
Hyperstar makes SCT astroimaging faster, wider, and more flexible.
Starzona's appearance on Cosmo Safari keeps its footing in practical detail, using Hyperstar as a clear example of what the accessory changes for astroimaging.
Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-hosts field Cosmic Queries on physics, space, and beyond.
Rotating StarTalk scientist-hosts and a comedian co-host tackle listener-submitted cosmic questions.
ABC Radio National pairs daily Artemis II updates with its five-part Challenger Legacy investigation.
Patient space coverage with real mission context.
Mark Zuck of Stoltzfus Structures says the company will bring a 10-by-14 observatory unit to NEAF 2026, where listeners can walk through the roof-roll design in person.
Fraser Cain discusses the evolution of virtual astronomy outreach and the challenges facing space publishers in the age of AI.
Kevin Lagore says astronomy outreach works best when the crowd sees an “obtainable” telescope, not a giant setup.
Cosmos Safari hosts Dave and Rob interview Steve Koenig and Scott Tucker of Starzona, the Tucson, Arizona telescope accessory maker founded by Steve's father Dean Koenig, about the Hyperstar accessory that converts Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes to F2 imaging speed.
Joel Sursell says a single RASA telescope detected a CubeSat 300,000 kilometers away for the Space Force.
Artemis advances from an uncrewed lunar test to crewed orbit and then a human landing.