Radford joins White House to host local Astronomy Night observation

A White House photo shows President Barack Obama observing the skies from a telescope on the South Lawn of the White House.
A White House photo shows President Barack Obama observing the skies from a telescope on the South Lawn of the White House as part of a recent Astronomy Night observation.

To celebrate Astronomy Night Oct. 19, the Radford University Planetarium and students from the Radford chapters of the international physics honor society Sigma Pi Sigma and the Society of Physics Students will join a national initiative to explore the stars and the night sky.

The Radford event will correspond with a stellar observation event from the South Lawn of the White House that brings together scientists, engineers and visionaries from astronomy and the space industry to share their experiences with students and teachers.

“We are excited to be part of this national effort to share the wonder of astronomy with our neighbors, colleagues and students from the Radford community,” said Professor of Physics and RU Planetarium Director Rhett Herman.

The RU observation activities will feature a stargazing opportunity on the lawn in front of Reed Hall hosted by the students of the RU Society of Physics Students and Sigma Pi Sigma, the physics honor society. The groups will have a collection of telescopes set up from 6 – 10 p.m. and they invite the Radford community for celestial observations, weather permitting.

As part of the national observation and regardless of weather or cloud cover, the RU Planetarium will host special hourly showings of its latest feature, "Journey to the Stars," from 6-10 p.m. Seating will be first-come, first-seated and doors will remain open until the show is either full, or the show starts.

The Radford Astronomy Night event will be supported by the Chandra X-ray Center/Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory of Cambridge, Massachusetts as part of its public education activities.

All RU Planetarium shows are free and open to the public. The planetarium is located in Curie Hall 43. Enter through Reed Hall from the main campus and follow the signs in the building. A complete RU Planetarium schedule can be found on its website.

Oct 12, 2015