Dean Regas is an American astronomer, public speaker, author, and television host. He is most widely known as the cohost of the syndicated television show Star Gazers,[1] which airs daily on more than 100 PBS stations around the world. He was the Outreach Astronomer for the Cincinnati Observatory from 2000 to 2023[2] where he specialized in astronomy education and public speaking.[3] Regas is the author of three books Facts From Space!,[4] 100 Things to See in the Night Sky,[5] and 100 Things to See in the Southern Night Sky.[6][7]
He is a Contributing Editor to Sky & Telescope[8] magazine and a contributor to Astronomy magazine.[9] Regas is a frequent guest on nationally broadcast radio shows Science Friday[10] and Here and Now.[11][12] In 2017 he created a podcast for popular astronomy called Looking Up, which he cohosts with Cincinnati Observatory Development Director Anna Hehman.[13]
Early life
editDean was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio and both of his parents are Greek-Americans. He moved to Cincinnati in 1992 to attend Xavier University where he received a B.A. in history and an M.A. in secondary education.[14]
Cincinnati Observatory
editRegas began his career at the Cincinnati Observatory as a volunteer in 1998. He was hired in 2000 as the Outreach Educator, tasked with bringing astronomy programs to schools around the area.[14] He has since become an expert in observational astronomy.[15] Regas delivers about 150 astronomy talks per year around the region and across the country to audiences of all ages.[3] He stopped working for the observatory in 2023.[2]
Star Gazers
editStar Gazers is a weekly television program, a 1-minute and a 5-minute version, that covers what people can observe in the night sky from their backyards. Regas guest-hosted Star Gazers in 2010.[16] Along with astronomer James C. Albury, have co-hosted the show since 2011.[17] Regas and Albury are the main writers and presenters for 104 episodes per year that air for free on PBS stations around the world.[1]
Author
editIn 2000 he began writing astronomy articles for The Cincinnati Enquirer[18] and has since written more than 120 pieces about observational astronomy. His articles have also appeared in Sky & Telescope Magazine, Astronomy Magazine, and USA Today,[19] and he blogged for The Huffington Post from 2013 to 2018.[20]
Books
edit- Facts From Space!: From Super-Secret Spacecraft to Volcanoes in Outer Space, Extraterrestrial Facts to Blow Your Mind. (Adams Media, 2016). ISBN 9781440597015
- 100 Things to See in the Night Sky: From Planets and Satellites to Meteors and Constellations, Your Guide to Stargazing. (Adams Media, 2017; Expanded edition, 2020). ISBN 9781507205051
- 100 Things to See in the Southern Night Sky: From Planets and Satellites to Meteors and Constellations, Your Guide to Stargazing. (Adams Media, 2018). ISBN 9781507207802
- How to Teach Grown-Ups About Pluto: The Cutting-Edge Space Science of the Solar System. (Britannica Books, 2022). ISBN 9781913750510
- 1,000 Facts About Space. (National Geographic Kids, 2022). ISBN 9781426373428.
Awards and recognitions
edit- Winner of Astronomy Magazine's 2008 "Out-of-this-World" Award for astronomy education[21]
- Recipient of a NASA ROSES grant (2010-2012) for Future Galileos, a project that awarded 100 quality telescopes to educators in the Cincinnati area[22]
- Asteroid 8815 Deanregas is named after him[23]
References
edit- ^ a b "Star Gazers". PBS. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ a b "After departing the Cincinnati Observatory, astronomer Dean Regas plans to keep looking up". WVXU. August 4, 2023.
- ^ a b "Dean Regas: Your Astronomer". Cincinnati Observatory. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ Regas, Dean (2016). Facts from Space!: From Super-Secret Spacecraft to Volcanoes in Outer Space, Extraterrestrial Facts to Blow Your Mind!. Avos, MA: Adams Media. ISBN 978-1440597015. OCLC 974133679. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ Regas, Dean (2018). 100 Things to See in the Night Sky: From Planets and Satellites to Meteors and Constellations, Your Guide to Stargazing. Holbrook, MAS: Adams Media. ISBN 978-1507205051. OCLC 1016962715. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ Regas, Dean (2018). 100 Things to See in the Southern Night Sky: From Planets and Satellites to Meteors and Constellations, Your Guide to Stargazing. Avon, MA: Adams Media. ISBN 978-1507207802. OCLC 1043041975. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ "Dean Regas: About the Author". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ Regas, Dean. "The Not-Quite Closing of Yerkes Observatory". Sky & Telescope: The Essential Guide to Astronomy. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ Regas, Dean. "Cincinnati Observatory Center's 40 Galileos Starry Messenger Project". Astronomy. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ "Dean Regas". Science Friday. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ "From the Milky Way to 'Oumuamua, 2018 Was A Busy Year In Space". Here & Now. WBUR. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ "Stargazing This Summer? Here's How To Point Out Planets And Constellations". Here & Now. WBUR. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ "Podcast Directory: Looking Up". NPR. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ a b "About Dean Regas". Cincinnati Observatory. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ "Directory of Ambassadors: Dean Regas". Solar System Ambassadors Program. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ Kiesewetter, John. "Cincinnati astronomy fills in on 'Star Gazer'". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ Alexander, Jackie. "Santa Fe planetarium director to co-host 'Star Gazer'". Gainesville.com. The Gainesville Sun. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ Regas, Dean. "Lunar secrets: Why doesn't the moon have a name?". USA Today. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ "Dean Regas, Astronomer, Author and Co-Host of Star Gazers". Huffpost. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ Regas, Dean. "Award-Winning Cincinnati outreach program graduates first class of Galileos". Astronomy. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ Lubowich, Donald. "Astrophysics Missions, Grants, and Forum". Retrieved 30 April 2019.
- ^ "(8815) Deanregas". IAU: The International Astronomical Union Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 30 April 2019.