Last year, the brightest object ever seen in the universe was detected. This was a gamma-ray burst (or GRB, in astronomers’ usual lingo) 7.5 billion light-years away, which means that the light we saw was emitted 7.5 billion years ago, more than half of the universe’s current age of 13.7 billion years.

Last week, the orbiting Swift Observatory topped that discovery with the detection of a gamma-ray burst that is 13 billion light-years away!  The source of the burst is likely a supernova, the explosion of a star much more massive than our Sun.  Known as Population III stars, these were the earliest stars to form in our universe, and produced the seeds of later star formation, generating chemical elements like iron, calcium, oxygen, and so forth—that are essential for life on Earth.  So as far removed from daily life as this gamma-ray burst might seem, it is because such huge, early stars existed and exploded in such a violent way that we are here today.

Posted by Matthew R. Francis under Director's Notes & Science Ideas & Science News | No Comments »

The M. D. Anderson Planetarium was mentioned in today’s Jackson Sun as a good, inexpensive option for family entertainment:
http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20090421/LIFESTYLE/904210301/1024

As mentioned in the article, we have two more public nights for this season:

• May 4, 2009 at 7:30 PM:  Oasis in Space
• May 18, 2009 at 7:30 PM:  “Black Holes:  The Other Side of Infinity”

Admission is $5 per adult, $3 per child under 18, and $10 for a family of 3 or more. Lambuth students, faculty, and staff are admitted free with their ID.  For school, church, scout, or other groups, please see our school/group page.

I am also still gathering names for a Jackson Astronomy Club.  (For those of you who have sent me messages already, I will be getting back to you soon!)  If you are interested, please send me an e-mail at francis@lambuth.edu.  For more information, see my earlier post.

Also, if you’re on Facebook, we have a page and a group. Please feel free to join and/or drop me a line through that medium if you’d like.

Posted by Matthew R. Francis under Director's Notes & Planetarium News & Public Events | No Comments »

On Monday, April 20, we present….

Astronaut

Narrated by Ewan McGregor

What does it take to become an astronaut? Going into space is simultaneously one of the most exciting things a human being can do, and one of the most dangerous. The human body is adapted to life on Earth, with its steady supply of breathable air, ground beneath our feet to give our skeletons support, and the atmosphere to shield us from much of the radiation the Sun produces. In this program, an astronaut by the name of Chad prepares to launch into orbit, and we witness the rigors of the training he needs to survive in space.

The show begins at 7:30 PM. Admission is $5 per adult, $3 per child under 18, and $10 for a family of 3 or more. Lambuth students, faculty, and staff are admitted free with their ID.

Posted by Matthew R. Francis under Public Events | No Comments »

Since becoming director of the planetarium in 2007, I have met a lot of people who are amateur astronomers in Jackson and the surrounding area. However, there doesn’t seem to be an astronomy club in town!

So, I am trying to gauge interest in an astronomy club. If you are interested, please send me an e-mail at francis@lambuth.edu.  We’re going to try to have an organizational meeting sometime in the next few weeks, but here are my ideas:

• The primary purpose is for all of you to connect with each other.  It’s your club, not mine, although I will provide whatever help and resources I can, not least of which is our planetarium facility for meetings and activities.
• One past practice that we have discontinued is the observations after regular planetarium programs.  The major reason for that is that the roof of Hyde Hall is not really a safe location.  However, I would like to restart that activity, and I think members of the community could assist me a lot by helping set up telescopes and showing non-astronomers how to use them.  As a bonus, you would have access to our nice telescopes!
• And of course there could be outings to regional museums, other planetaria, group meetings with other clubs in the area, and far more than I can think of right now.

So, I look forward to hearing from you!

P.S. Also, if you’re on Facebook, we have a page and a group. Please feel free to join and/or drop me a line through that medium if you’d like.

Posted by Matthew R. Francis under Director's Notes | No Comments »

Tonight (April 6) marks the return presentation of

Oasis in Space

All life on Earth requires liquid water to exist.  That water can be subjected to extreme temperatures and pressures, but as long as it can stay liquid, life can hold on.  Beneath arctic ice, deep underground, near undersea volcanic vents—life finds a way.  So, when astronomers look for life elsewhere in our Solar System, liquid water is frequently sought out.

Oasis In Space takes us on a journey through our Solar System and beyond, in search of places in the universe where liquid water can exist. Where liquid water exists, life has a chance of survival, even if the place doesn’t resemble Earth at all! This new offering is an exciting program that is very family-friendly.  Admission is $5 per adult, $3 per child under 18, and $10 for a family of 3 or more. Lambuth students, faculty, and staff are admitted free with their ID.

Posted by Matthew R. Francis under Public Events | No Comments »

This weekend commemorates the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first use of a telescope in astronomy.  Galileo didn’t invent the telescope, and of course astronomy predates Galileo by centuries, but combining the two established the modern view of the Solar System proposed by Copernicus and Kepler.

To commemorate this event, the world is celebrating 100 Hours of Astronomy:  http://www.100hoursofastronomy.org/. The event began on Thursday (local time here) and will end tomorrow, with many events going on worldwide. We will be a trifle late, since our regular program is on Monday night, but rest assured: we will talk about Galileo, what made his discoveries so important, and hopefully weather will permit us to go outside and see Saturn’s “ears” (as Galileo called the rings when he discovered them).

Our main show on Monday, April 6 is Oasis in Space, the search for liquid water in the Solar System and beyond. After the main program, we will celebrate Galileo, and hopefully go outside to use our telescopes. The program begins at 7:30 PM, and costs $5 for adults, $3 for children under 18, and $10 for a family of 3 or more. Lambuth students, faculty, and staff are admitted free with their ID.

Posted by Matthew R. Francis under History & Public Events | No Comments »