RADFORD – Dr. Rhett Herman, Physics professor and Director of the Radford University Planetarium, is hosting a community event today, Wednesday, July 12, to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the James Webb Telescope.
“Come join us on Wednesday, July 12, from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. for a full day of free science activities in celebration of the one-year anniversary of the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST),” Herman announced. “There will be JWST planetarium shows throughout the day; the Museum of the Earth Sciences will be open all day; the Radford University Greenhouse will be open from 10 a.m.- 3 p.m.; and there will be button-making and other activities including physics, astronomy, biology, and chemistry from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.”
The event will be held in the Main Street Lobby area of the Center for the Sciences at Radford University. The address is 925 East Main St., Radford.
Partners in the event include Radford University’s McConnell Library, the Wonder Universe Children’s Museum, the Radford City Public Library, and Radford University’s Artis College of Science and Technology. All activities are free and appropriate for all ages, and everyone is invited.
According to the NASA website, nasa.gov, the James Webb Space Telescope is a “large infrared telescope with an approximately 6.5-meter primary mirror that was “successfully launched from ESA’s spaceport in French Guiana on December 25, 2021.”
“Webb is the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide,” the NASA description continues. “It studies every phase in the history of our Universe, ranging from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang, to the formation of solar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth, to the evolution of our own Solar System. Webb was formerly known as the “Next Generation Space Telescope” (NGST); it was renamed in Sept. 2002 after a former NASA administrator, James Webb.”
Staff report
