TV: Jack Horkheimer - Star Gazer

Fame is relative - walk "Star Trek" alum Wil Wheaton through a dog show, and no one would have any idea who he was (unless a few of the dog owners were TNG fans). In the same vein, I bet Jack Horkheimer can go almost anywhere in real life without being recognized. Put him in front of a starfield, though, and you can produce something immediately familiar to PBS viewers, especially in South Florida:



"Star Gazer" is a weekly show that focuses on all the astronomical sights you can see with the naked eye - stars, comets, eclipses, and the like (the show was originally called "Jack Horkheimer: Star Hustler," but the producers renamed it since web searches were showing links to Hustler, the porn brand). Horkheimer, the director of the Miami Space Transit Planetarium, started hosting the show in the '70s, and it's been going strong ever since, expanding beyond Florida and into PBS markets across the country.

It's back-to-basics amateur astronomy that strives to be as inclusive and family friendly as possible. You can download episodes or view them on YouTube, which means you can carry a convenient tour of the stars with you wherever an iPhone can go. So, if you ever take a trip to a place where light pollution doesn't prevent you from seeing all but the brightest stars, bring Horkheimer along and discover the night sky, "Star Gazer" style.

The memorable electronic version of Debussy's Arabesque No. 1 that opens the show was arranged by famed Japanese synthesizer artist Isao Tomita. If you like ethereal, oddly playful renditions of classic pieces, check out his album "Snowflakes Are Dancing":