Planetarium Presents “The Soot Between the Stars” March 10

VALDOSTA — The Valdosta State University Planetarium will present “The Soot Between the Stars” at 7 p.m., 8 p.m., and 9 p.m. on Friday, March 10. The presentation is free of charge and open to the public.

VSU’s Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Geosciences provided the following synopsis for the show: “Get out your vacuum cleaners. The galaxy is a dirty place, so let's clean it up. Sooty gas clouds, extending for thousands of cubic light-years, will eventually form the next generation of stars and their solar systems. It is thanks to the dusty grains within these interstellar clouds that our own solar system formed with rocky planets. Even we ourselves are made out of space dust.”

During the presentation, Dr. Cecilia Barnbaum, a professor in the Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Geosciences, will show VSU Planetarium guests how dust grains are made and “convince us that dirt is a good thing.”

Seating for each of the three presentations is limited to 47 guests. Free admission tickets will be distributed beginning at 6 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis at the VSU Planetarium.

The VSU Observatory will be open from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., weather permitting, allowing guests the opportunity to view the stars and planets.  

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. This technology is the first of its kind in the world.

Limited parking will be available in front of Nevins Hall and across Patterson Street.

Planetarium public outreach shows are appropriate for children ages 5 and up. The final presentation of the 2016-2017 season will be “The Great Eclipse of 2017” on Friday, April 21.

Contact VSU’s Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Geosciences at (229) 333-5752 for more information.