Jack Horkheimer, host of ‘Star Gazer’ who popularized naked-eye astronomy, dies at 72

‘Star Gazer’ host Jack Horkheimer dies at 72

MIAMI — Jack Horkheimer, the creator and host of the PBS show “Star Gazer” who helped popularize naked-eye astronomy, has died. He was 72.

The Miami Museum of Science and Space Transit Planetarium, where Horkheimer was director emeritus, said in a news release that the astronomer died Friday afternoon of a respiratory ailment.

Horkheimer was director of the planetarium for more than 35 years.

Millions of people have watched the weekly “Star Gazer program since its inception in the 1970s, getting advice on what to look for in the night sky.