VSU Planetarium Celebrates Telescopes Friday Night

VALDOSTA, Ga. – According to a news release, the Valdosta State University Planetarium presents “Telescopes of Our Past and Future” at 6 p.m., 7 p.m., 8 p.m., and 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23.

Seating for each presentation is limited. Free admission ticket distribution begins as early as 5:30 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis at the VSU Planetarium.

“We are excited to feature and celebrate the telescope, an instrument to gather light and energy to see the past and learn about our future,” said Dr. Martha Leake, professor of astronomy and physics at VSU. “The telescope helps us to see from a distance. Such devices began as spyglasses to allow us to monitor the enemy or stranger and, thanks to Galileo and others, were aimed at the Moon, Sun, the planets, comets and asteroids. But that also led us to study the stars and ponder questions such as how hot they are, how far they are, and if our Sun is ‘just’ a nearby star. We will examine some of the instruments used in this adventure, from early ‘refractors’ to huge ‘reflectors,’ catching energy of all types, revealing some of the secretes of our cosmos.”

Each presentation will begin with “Two Small Pieces of Glass: The Amazing Telescope,” a 23-minute full-dome educational show that traces the 400-year history of the telescope. Then the conversation will expand to the detection of gravitational waves. Reflectors and refractors will be on display, and guests will have an opportunity to use the telescopes on the rooftop Observatory deck to look at the Moon, planets, and double starts.

“The James Webb Space Telescope, Hubble Space Telescope, Nancy Grace Roman Telescope, and the Deep Space Network are examples of creativity in telescope design and function,” Leake shared. “We ‘travel’ through the Universe with our telescopes.”

Located on the third floor of Nevins Hall, the VSU Planetarium features a Digitarium Kappa digital projector, which can reproduce the night sky as seen from anywhere on Earth or from the surface of any object in the solar system, at any time in history, past or future.

Limited parking is available in front of Nevins Hall and across Patterson Street. Planetarium public outreach shows are appropriate for all ages. For more information, contact VSU’s Department of Data Science at 229-333-5778.