Native Arkansan, NASA podcaster returns for eclipse

HOT SPRINGS — Arkansas native turned Washington, D.C., resident Jacob Pinter is no stranger to digging below the surface to uncover the mysteries of outer space and beyond.

As a NASA multimedia specialist, Pinter is part of a team that runs the official NASA podcast Curious Universe.

Pinter graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in December 2014 with a degree in broadcast journalism. His journey eventually led him to becoming a contractor at NASA in July 2023.

The podcast, launched in 2020, is designed to tell stories relating to NASA’s mission to “explore space and the universe for the benefit of all.” Pinter said he started working on the podcast team as a producer and now leads as a co-host alongside astrophysicist Padi Boyd.

“NASA is known for really technical reports and data, and we do produce that, that’s important, but part of the ‘benefit for all’ is putting information in plain language,”

Pinter said. “We want everyone to be as excited about space and science as we are.”

Pinter said it is a “privilege to share the human, and sometimes emotional, stories behind cutting-edge NASA missions.”

The stories are typically between 20 and 30 minutes long, with around 50 episodes released to date. Curious Universe has a seasonal series related to the total solar eclipse called the Eclipse + Sun Series.

Pinter will be returning to his home state of Arkansas to view the eclipse with his family and said this is the first time he will get to view an event of this magnitude. “In 2017, I saw a partial solar eclipse, but the best way I’ve heard it described is that the difference between a partial and total eclipse is the same as having all of the lottery numbers right or all but one.”

“It’s going to be a wholebody experience, mysterious and strange all on its own. Animals will behave like it’s nighttime, and there will be changes in the air and temperature. It’s not only what we see or hear, you’ll feel it too,” Pinter said.