Black Holes, Comets and More with David Aguilar

Steve Skinner talks to Astronomer David Aguilar about comets, black holes and how they connect to our everyday lives.

David Aguilar is an internationally recognized naturalist/astronomer, author, space artist and musician with the unique ability to open minds to the vast frontiers of space and their potential effects on our own world. His expertise lies in sparking intricate, yet fascinating connections between the universe, nature, and ourselves. Through the development of global study tours, space science books, media consulting and provocative lectures, he contributes to some of today’s leading space-science exploration programs.

He strives to inspire young space enthusiasts with his award-winning books designed for kids and space learners of all ages. The latest release, “LUNA: The Science and Stories of Our Moon” (National Geographic Society) marks the historic 50th anniversary of man’s landing on the moon. He is author/illustrator of nine National Geographic and three Random House books including: ”7 Wonders of the Milky Way”, Space Encyclopedia, “Cosmic Catastrophes – 7 Ways to Destroy a Planet Like Earth”, “13 Planets”, and “Alien Worlds – Your Guide to Extraterrestrial Life in the UNIVERSE.

David is a 2018 recipient of the National Science Teachers Association Outstanding Science Trade Book Award and New York Public Library’s “Top Pick – Best Books for Kids and Teens”; the Junior Library Guild Award, Garden State Book Award for BEST Science Book, the CA Reading Association Eureka! Award, and the Texas Topaz Outstanding Science Book Award.

He is former Director of Science Information and Public Outreach at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) in Cambridge, MA, the world’s largest astronomical research organization. He is the past Director of Media & Marketing Communications for Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation in Boulder, Colorado and past Director of the Fiske Planetarium and Science Center at the University of Colorado in Boulder. After 14 years with Harvard CfA, he joined NASA’s New Horizons Mission Media Team for the historic Flyby of Pluto and re-joined the team again in 2018-19 for the Ultima Thule Kuiper Belt (KBO) Flyby to the farthest object ever explored in our solar system.

Onscreen contributor, content developer and space artist for the History Channel’s “UNIVERSE” series, the Science Channel’s “NASA Unexplained Files”, and NHK (Japanese National Television Corporation) COSMIC FRONT series, and a featured narrator in the nationally touring, award-winning documentary on the father of space art, “Chesley Bonestell: A Brush With The Future”.

In 2010, Asteroid 1990DA was named in honor of his exceptional contributions to the advancement of science education. When not lecturing, he can be found in his research observatory just outside Aspen, CO searching for alien Earth-like planets orbiting distant stars.