VSU Planetarium Presents The Ladies of Harvard March 23

VALDOSTA — The Valdosta State University Planetarium will present The Ladies of Harvard at 7 p.m., 8 p.m., and 9 p.m. on Friday, March 23. This presentation is free of charge and open to the public.

VSU’s Department of Physics, Astronomy, and Geosciences provided the following synopsis: “In the late 1800s the Harvard College Observatory was the premier astronomical facility in the United States. Under the guidance of its director, Edward Charles Pickering, the world’s largest collection of photographic plates was assembled. These were used to determine positions, brightness, variability, and spectral types for millions of stars.

“To analyze this mountain of data, Pickering relied on a team of women. Gathered in a small library adjacent to the observatory, and earning just 25 cents an hour, they worked six days a week — and sometimes more — at their tasks. Some of them would go on to join the ranks of the most famous astronomers in America.”

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 moon and stars.   

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 and adults ages 5 and up.

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

On the Web:
https://www.valdosta.edu/colleges/arts-sciences/physics-astronomy-geosciences/welcome.php

Map of VSU:
https://www.valdosta.edu/about/documents/campus-directory/VSU_Campus_Map.pdf