Douglas Duncan
Joined Atlas Obscura in 2026
Dr. Douglas Duncan is an astronomer at the University of Colorado. From 2002-2018 he directed Fiske Planetarium, leading it to be one of the most advanced planetariums in the US. Duncan earned degrees at Caltech and the Univ. of California Santa Cruz. He was part of the project that first found sunspot cycles on other stars. Subsequently he joined the staff of the Hubble Space Telescope. In 1992 he accepted a joint appointment at the University of Chicago and the Adler Planetarium, beginning a trend of modernization of planetariums which has spread to New York, Denver, Los Angeles, and now Boulder Colorado.
Duncan is well known as a popularizer of astronomy. From 1997-2002 he did science commentary on the Chicago Public Radio station WBEZ and more recently on the Colorado Public Radio program “Colorado Matters.” He has appeared on television programs such as the History Channel and BBC Horizon. In 2011 he received the prestigious Richard Emmons award presented to the “Outstanding University Astronomy Teacher in the US.” He has a grant from NASA to produce and nationally distribute 360 degree (“Full-dome”) planetarium features highlighting NASA’s varied missions and encouraging young people in space-related careers. These are playing in over 750 theaters worldwide.
Dr. Duncan has served as National Education Coordinator for the American Astronomical Society, representing the 7000 professional astronomers in the US and leading efforts for better teaching and public communication for astronomers throughout the country. His work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, NASA, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the Smithsonian, and National Geographic. In 2006 he wrote the first book on how to teach effectively with “clickers” – classroom response systems that engage all students with the teacher, not just the students who sit in the front of the classroom. His most recent work is on the correlation between student texting and grades. It shows that 75% of university students text during class and their grades are 4-5% lower!
Dr. Duncan leads educational trips throughout the world to watch total eclipses of the sun and to see the northern lights. In 2024, he led 600 people to see “Totality over Texas.” Duncan is the inventor of Solar Snap, an app to take photos of the sun with any smartphone that became the most popular free app in the US on eclipse day, April 8, 2024.
In 1991, Duncan traveled to the North Pole and was elected to The Explorer’s Club of New York City.
