RADFORD – The numbers are in.
For the 2024 calendar year, 5,516 visitors explored the universe through various shows in the popular Radford University Planetarium. More than 1,300 of those were people attending one of the 24 Science Days hosted by the university’s Artis College of Science and Technology.
The Radford Planetarium, located in the Center for the Sciences, is the hub for astronomy and space education at Radford University and the community. It offers free public shows and hosts numerous K12 and community groups throughout each year.
In 2024, Radford work study students, all physics majors, operated the planetarium for 183 shows.
“It’s considered the coolest job on campus,” said Radford Professor of Physics Rhett Herman, “and one that has launched the careers of notable alumni.”
Those alumni include Jordan Eagle ’16, a post-doctoral high-energy astrophysics researcher at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; Josh Carroll ’17, a space physics research scientist with Booz Allen Hamilton; Krislyn Sourivong ’21, a Ph.D. student in astrophysics at Virginia Tech; and Matt Frazier ’04, an instructor at the Southwest Virginia Governor’s School and a Radford University physics adjunct instructor.
“The planetarium operators have been a really select group over the years,” Herman proudly noted. “I could brag on this group all day.”
Chad Osborne for Radford University
