I have subscribed to the SETI – Are We Alone? Podcast for as long as it’s been available. Contrary to any pre-conceived notion that title may evoke, the program explores the science that makes life possible.

While visiting the program Web site a few days ago, I stumbled across a fascinating series of audio recordings from a series of astronomy lectures.

Founded in 1999, the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures are presented on six Wednesday evenings during each school year at Foothill College, in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley. Speakers over the years have included Nobel-prize winners, members of the National Academy of Sciences, the first woman in history to discover a planet, an astrophysicist who is an award-winning science fiction writer, and many other well-known scientists explaining astronomical developments in everyday language.

The series is moderated by Foothill’s astronomy instructor Andrew Fraknoi and sponsored by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the SETI Institute, NASA’s Ames Research Center, and the Foothill College Astronomy Program.

Folks with almost any level of interest in astronomy will find this programming fascinating and a must-have download.