An audio guide to the world’s strange, incredible, and wondrous places. Co-founder Dylan Thuras and a neighborhood of Atlas Obscura reporters explore a new wonder every day, Monday through Thursday. In under 15 minutes, they’ll take you to an incredible place, and along the way, you’ll meet some fascinating people and hear their stories. Our theme and end credit music is composed by Sam Tyndall.

Micropia (Winter Wonder Classic)

January 05, 2024 00:15:49 15.18 MB Downloads: 0

Take a trip to Micropia, the world’s only museum dedicated to microscopic organisms and  learn about our invisible life companions.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/micropia

Milky Seas (Winter Wonder Classic)

January 04, 2024 00:18:28 17.72 MB Downloads: 0

Join host Dylan Thuras, a satellite scientist, and a ship captain in search of gigantic swaths of bioluminescence that radiate up from the surface of the sea over thousands of square miles. 

Laguna Del Diamante (Winter Wonder Classic)

January 03, 2024 00:15:24 14.78 MB Downloads: 0

A toxic lake high in the Andes mountains in Argentina is home to microbes that provide a window to our planet’s past — and a key to securing its future.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/laguna-del-diamante

Relampago del Catatumbo (Winter Wonder Classic)

January 02, 2024 00:14:41 14.09 MB Downloads: 0

There’s an everlasting lightning storm in Northwestern Venezuela that appears in the night sky nearly every night.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/relampago-del-catatumbo

The Various Ends of the World (Winter Wonder Classic)

January 01, 2024 00:19:31 18.73 MB Downloads: 0

Science writer Peter Brannen takes listeners on a tour of the world’s five major mass extinctions.

Spacecraft Cemetery (Winter Wonder Classic)

December 29, 2023 00:18:38 17.89 MB Downloads: 0

Where does space stuff go after it dies? To this spot deep, deep in the Pacific ocean.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/spacecraft-cemetery

Fun and Funny Science with Mary Roach (Winter Wonder Classic)

December 28, 2023 00:18:22 17.63 MB Downloads: 0

Author Mary Roach takes us into the hidden corners of the scientific world. From training to poop in space to the surprisingly pleasant Common Cold Unit, all the way to the inside of Elvis’s colon. If you want to check out her work, we recommend starting with Packing for Mars. 

The Grave of Miss Baker (Winter Wonder Classic)

December 27, 2023 00:14:07 13.55 MB Downloads: 0

Visitors leave bananas on the grave of “America’s First Lady of Space,” an early astronaut whose incredible life was forgotten. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-grave-of-miss-baker-huntsville-alabama

The Tunguska Event (Winter Wonder Classic)

December 26, 2023 00:11:27 10.99 MB Downloads: 0

We head to a remote region of Russia, to the epicenter of what would become known as the Tunguska Event. An event that may seem unfathomable… except we have firsthand accounts from people who witnessed it.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tunguska-event-epicenter

Amir Siraj and the Interstellar Object (Winter Wonder Classic)

December 25, 2023 00:16:53 16.21 MB Downloads: 0

Amir Siraj was a sophomore in college when he discovered what may be the first documented interstellar object to hit earth

Tumbleweed Christmas Tree (Winter Wonder Classic)

December 24, 2023 00:13:00 12.48 MB Downloads: 0

Chandler, Arizona creates a Christmas Tree made entirely of the diaspore of this Western plant. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tumbleweed-christmas-tree

A Holiday Announcement

December 23, 2023 00:03:02 2.91 MB Downloads: 0

Over the last two and a half years, the Atlas Obscura podcast has published well over 500 original episodes. For the next few weeks, we're taking a holiday break  -- but not leaving you without wonder. Over the course of 20 episodes, host Dylan Thuras is going to take you on a journey starting in the cosmic reaches of space, to the earliest days of life on earth, through a tour of our fellow earthly creatures, and finally arrive at us, the great apes who record podcasts. We'll be back in late January with brand new episodes. 

President Heads (Classic)

December 22, 2023 00:11:24 10.94 MB Downloads: 0

42 giant busts of U.S. presidents are slowly crumbling in a field in Virginia. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/president-heads

Sniffing out What’s Special with Saskia Wilson Brown

December 21, 2023 00:17:36 16.89 MB Downloads: 0

Specific smells have been linked to specific geographies, cultures, and mythologies for THOUSANDS of years. Today, we hear from Saskia Wilson-Brown about fragrance, power, and the power of scent. MORE Saskia is the founder of the Institute of Art and Olfaction, a nonprofit to expand access and education around scent. She also teaches a 3-part online class with us here at Atlas Obscura, and it runs a couple of times a year. Head to the online courses page on our website, and you can use code AMBERGRIS to get 15% off your registration. 

Nightwalking with Bianca Giaever

December 20, 2023 00:16:58 16.29 MB Downloads: 0

We learn about an age-old practice of nightwalking, with the help of two women who took it on as an experiment in the early chaotic days of the pandemic. Joining the conversation is Bianca Giaever, creator of one of our favorite podcasts of the year, Constellation Prize. MORE: To hear Constellation Prize for yourself, you can head to thebeliever.net or anywhere podcasts are available. And if you want to learn more about nightwalking, check out this article Bianca wrote.