Archive for the ‘Director’s Notes’ Category

The ideas of astronomy

June 27th 2008

I am still feeling my way about what kind of website to offer for the planetarium.  Being a scientist who engages in active research in addition to my educational roles (I’m a full-time professor at Lambuth as well as planetarium director), I think it’s important to share discoveries that might be interesting to you, the reader.

So I would like to take an informal poll:  do you read the science postings I have started writing recently?  If you do, what kinds of things would you like me to talk about?  Please send any questions, comments, or suggestions to planetarium@lambuth.edu, and I will use them to help provide the kind of site people will want to read.

Cheers,
Matthew Francis
Director, M.D. Anderson Planetarium

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

Great Lakes Cosmology Workshop

June 25th 2008

Alas, I still haven’t processed all of my notes from the Great Lakes Cosmology Workshop I attended two weeks ago.  I learned a great deal, and got caught up on some research topics I hadn’t heard about in a few years, so overall I think it was a successful trip.  However, my promised posts did not happen, for which I apologize.

In lieu of trying to explain some of the talks I heard (most of which are probably not of general interest), I will post some topics over the next few days that are related to cutting-edge research in cosmology.  Stay tuned!

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Live from Pittsburgh

June 8th 2008

I have safely arrived in Pittsburgh, and based on preliminary conversation with some of my fellow conference attendees, the talks are going to be very interesting.  I will pass along as much information as I can. If you missed the item posted before, I am at the Great Lakes Cosmology Conference at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh. 

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Seeing the forest despite the trees

June 6th 2008

Over the last 100 years or so, our view of the universe has changed dramatically.  It was possible in the early 20th century to think that our galaxy (literally meaning Milky Way, same root as “lactose” and “lactate”) might be the entire universe.  The famous “Great Debate” between astronomers Harlow Shapley and Heber Curtis was over whether the observed “spiral nebulae” were part of our galaxy, or separate galaxies in their own right. The issue wasn’t settled during the debate, but several years later by Edwin Hubble, who used techniques developed by Henrietta Swan Leavitt to measure the distance to the Andromeda galaxy.  Needless to say, he found the distance to be much larger than the size of the Milky Way, thus showing the universe to be a very large place.

Edwin HubbleHenrietta Swan Leavitt

Edwin Hubble (1889-1953) and Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1868-1921)

All this is background for today’s story.  Once the universe could be divided into parts—the part inside our galaxy, and the part outside—astronomers could start studying the structure of galaxies in earnest.  Harlow Shapley himself located the center of our Milky Way and got a reasonably accurate measure of its diameter.  The challenge then became to map out the complete structure, which is a difficult task:  unlike (say) the Andromeda galaxy, we’re inside the Milky Way, so we can’t see the whole thing.  If you go out to a place with a dark sky, you can see the milky streak of light that is the disc of our galaxy, but without special equipment, you can’t find the galactic center or discern that our galaxy is a spiral galaxy.

Andromeda galaxy, the closest spiral galaxy to our own

Andromeda galaxy (M31), the spiral galaxy closest to our own galaxy

Specifically, the special equipment we need includes radio telescopes and infrared telescopes.  Radio telescopes look at the longest wavelengths of light, while infrared instruments pick out the kind of radiation we feel as heat. Radio waves help us find hydrogen, the most common chemical element in the universe, while infrared radiation highlights dust, which to astronomers means heavier molecules and aggregates of molecules, often containing carbon or oxygen atoms.  As it turns out, dust traces the spiral arms of a galaxy very well, so if you have a good infrared telescope, you can map the spiral structure even while viewing from within the Milky Way.

Which leads us to the news of the day:  the Spitzer space telescope, which is an infrared telescope, has done an extensive survey of the galaxy, and the results were announced at this week’s American Astronomical Society meeting in St. Louis:

Artist's depiction of the structure of the Milky Way, based on Spitzer observations

This artist’s depiction of the structure of the Milky Way is based on the Spitzer observations, and it shows that our galaxy has two major spiral arms and a number of smaller structures. Previous observations had concluded our galaxy has four arms rather than two, which raised the question of why our galaxy seemed so much more complex than others we observed. (I guess I need to revise my lecture notes now.) With the Spitzer map of the Milky Way, the picture we can draw looks like many other two-armed spirals such as M51, the Whirlpool Galaxy:

The Whirlpool galaxy

To an alien astronomer in a distant galaxy, perhaps our Milky Way looks as beautiful.

On a personal note, I will be at the Great Lakes Cosmology Workshop at Carnegie-Mellon University next week. I will do my best to post anything exciting I find out during these proceedings.

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

Alas, poor Yorick!

May 2nd 2008

I knew him, Horatio; a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy….

Dr. Francis with the old planetarium projector

This of course is the old planetarium star projector, installed in 1967 when the M. D. Anderson Planetarium was first built.  The design is nearly as simple as can be:  the stars are holes of varying sizes in a metal sphere, and an arc lamp inside shines light through the holes onto the planetarium dome.  Larger stars and the Milky Way are represented by larger openings with lenses to spread the light out.

(Photo courtesy of Dr. Lisa Norgard.)

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

John Archibald Wheeler, 1911-2008

April 27th 2008

John Archibald Wheeler, one of the great minds of theoretical physics and astronomy, died on April 13 of this year.  He is perhaps best known for popularizing the term “black hole” to describe the collapse of a massive star core upon its death.  He worked with many of the greatest scientists of the 20th century, including Niels Bohr and Richard Feynman.John Archibald Wheeler, 1911-2008

For those of us who have studied Einstein’s general theory of relativity, Wheeler’s massive book Gravitation (written with Charles Misner and Kip Thorne) holds an important place in the canon.  Wheeler also helped develop the S-matrix technique for calculating the scattering properties of subatomic particles, and (with his student Feynman) an intriguing theory of light emission and absorption known awkwardly as “delayed action-at-a-distance”. He spent most of his career at Princeton University.

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Updated Schedule and News

April 25th 2008

The schedule of public events has been updated to reflect what’s coming up over the next few months:

  • On May 5 and May 19, we will present encore viewings of Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity. As usual, the shows will begin at 7:30 PM, with admission being $5 for adults, $3 for 18 and under, and $10 for families of three or more. Lambuth students, staff, and faculty are admitted free with ID.
  • The M.D. Anderson Planetarium will be closed completely during the months of June and July. Look for new show announcements for the fall!
  • The first show for the fall season will be Monday, August 18.

Thanks to everyone who has made our first season with the new projector a great success!

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

Public Show Tonight! with Special Star Show

March 17th 2008

Tonight (March 17), the Planetarium will be showing Hubble Vision 2 at 7:30 PM, and will also include a short star show following the main attraction.  In addition to talking about the stars and planets visible this week, I will discuss briefly the astronomical significance of the vernal equinox, and its connection with the holidays of Easter and Passover.

Admission is $5 per adult, $3 per child under 18, and $10 for a family of 3 or more. Lambuth students get in free with their ID.

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Updated Schedule and News

February 19th 2008

The schedule of public shows has been updated to include the regular public nights for the months of March and April. I am also working on ideas for other public events, so keep an eye out for those.

Speaking of keeping an eye on things, did you know you know that you can receive instant Planetarium news updates for free in your email client, web browser, or Internet-enabled mobile device? You can do this through RSS news feeds: just navigate to http://planetarium.lambuth.edu/rss to subscribe, and you’ll never have to miss another planetarium announcement again!

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First Public Night

February 18th 2008

Tonight (February 18) is the first Public Night in the revamped planetarium.  We will be showing Hubble Vision 2, which was developed by Loch Ness Productions.
[Link to Loch Ness Productions]

The show begins at 7:30 PM, and will also include a short star show.

Admission is $5 per adult, $3 per child under 18, and $10 for a family of 3 or more. Lambuth students get in free with their ID.

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