President's Message Dear Members - Today celebrates National Space Day! Established in 1997, National Space Day celebrates space on Earth, STEM education, and space exploration. We hope you will be able to get outside this weekend for stargazing and finding your favorite constellations. The Friends are seeking volunteers to work with the Board of Directors. Specifically we are looking for support with communications and with managing volunteers. If you have experience in these areas and would like to donate your time and expertise, please let us know. A great opportunity for APS secondary students is to join the Friend’s Student Advisor Program. Read more about this volunteer opportunity in the article below and apply this month. A new FOAP project is Redesigning the Planetarium Hallway. Many will remember the celestial murals that filled the hallway walls that were removed a few years ago due to asbestos abatement in the planetarium. The Friends, in agreement with Arlington Public Schools, is undertaking this redesign project. We are seeking interested members from the community to join the project development committee. Look for a member survey too, to collect suggestions and ideas to guide the committee’s work. More details coming in June! I look forward to seeing you under the stars at the Planetarium. Be sure to say hello! Theresa Carroll Schweser
FOAP President |
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FOAP Has a Portable Dome to Help Promote the Planetarium!
By Kathi Overton
Near the end of 2024, Marymount University sold a 5 meter diameter inflatable planetarium dome to the Friends of Arlington’s Planetarium. After some equipment upgrades and test runs, the portable dome was taken to the Navy League STEM Expo on April 6. Approximately 125 people attended short shows in the dome and learned about the David M. Brown planetarium. FOAP hopes to use the portable dome at select events in the region to introduce new audiences to planetariums and increase awareness of the Arlington planetarium. Look for the dome at the Arlington County Fair this August! |
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The portable dome at work at the Navy League STEM Expo.
Photos by Kathi Overton |
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Calling Student Advisor Volunteers
The Friends of Arlington's David M. Brown Planetarium is looking for interested high school students to join the second cohort of Student Advisors in the 2025-26 School year. The goals of the Student Advisor Program are to:
- Provide opportunities to engage in science/space programming with the Arlington public, and
- Grow individual skills in public speaking, graphic design, technology and public engagement
Student Advisors provide valuable support by volunteering at planetarium shows, providing input to planetarium show selection, helping fellow students develop films for Domefest, writing articles for the newsletter, updating FOAP social media accounts, and participating in other activities throughout the year.
To apply: The program is open to all Arlington Public High School Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors. The application announcement will be posted in the May edition of Arlington Public School's Peach Jar. You can also access the application here.
Funding to support this program is derived from public-event ticket sales, a portion of memberships, and donations. Every donation makes a difference to your community!
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Student Artwork Shown on the Sphere
Eight students were recently announced as winners of the 2nd Annual Sphere XO Student Design Challenge. Students from Nevada’s Clark County school district and UNLV were invited to submit original Earth Day themed artwork for display on the exterior dome of the Sphere in Las Vegas. Two students in each category - elementary, middle, high school, and college were chosen as winners – 4 by public vote, and 4 by a panel of judges. Their art will be displayed on the exosphere. In addition, cash donations will be made to the schools of the elementary & middle school winners, while scholarships will be awarded to the high school and college winners. You can see all of the chosen designs at: https://tinyurl.com/52pd6ykj
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Views of the “Exosphere”, the exterior display of the Sphere in Las Vegas, NV.
Photos Credit: Kathi Overton |
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David M Brown Public Planetarium Shows for May!
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The Friends of the Arlington Planetarium (FOAP) will be hosting full dome planetarium shows about Life on Earth on Saturday, May 17 (6:30 and 8:00pm) and Sunday, May 18 (1:30 and 3:00pm).
Show details and an advance ticket sales notice will be released to members next week. |
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Earth By Kids Britannica
The planet we live on is a lot like other planets. It is a round body that spins around in space and travels around the Sun. It has an atmosphere made up of different gases. It is a rocky planet, like Mercury, Venus, and Mars. But there is one big difference between Earth and all the other planets—Earth is the only planet in the solar system that can support life. Life on Earth exists because the planet has water on its surface and oxygen gas in its air. Earth also has the perfect range of temperatures for life. It is not too hot, like Venus, and not too cold, like Neptune. The average temperature on Earth is about 59 °F (15 °C).
Every planet in the solar system is named after a god or goddess from Greek or Roman mythology except for Earth. Earth means “the ground” in Old English and German.
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Earth Through Time By Kids Britannica
Scientists believe that Earth is about 4.6 billion years old. Earth’s surface has changed greatly since it was first formed. Some changes have taken place over millions of years as wind and water have eroded, or worn away, the land. Erosion has created features such as the Grand Canyon. The climate on Earth has also changed since it was first formed. These changes have affected the life-forms that have existed on Earth at different times. While the climate and life-forms can change very slowly, other changes to Earth can happen very quickly. The force of an erupting volcano or an earthquake can change the surrounding land in just hours.
The scientists who study changes to Earth are called geologists. They have divided Earth’s history into time periods called eons and eras. They use these periods to explain how and when changes on Earth took place. For instance, geologists have found that the Atlantic Ocean was formed during the Mesozoic Era, a division of the Phanerozoic Eon.
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Jokes for Kids Only!
Q. What did Earth say to the other planets in the solar system?
A. You guys have no life.
Q. What is Earth’s favourite dance move?
A. The moonwalk.
Q. Why does Earth not like visiting the restaurant on the moon very often?
A. There is no good atmosphere.
Q. When does Earth know that the moon cannot eat anymore?
A. When the moon is full.
Q. What did the alien say to the flower bed?
A. “Take me to your weeder!” |
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What's in the Sky this Month |
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The Eta Aquarids—one of two showers resulting from Halley's Comet—is expected to peak on the night of May 6–7. Viewers in the Southern Hemisphere may see up to 60 meteors per hour. Those in the Northern Hemisphere will still get a show, but a less spectacular one.
(Mike Rhee will return next month.) |
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Microbes to Megafauna By Jennifer Bartlett
Life on Earth began over 3.7 billion years ago with microscopic,
single-celled organisms thriving in what may have been a methane-rich,
oxygen-poor atmosphere. We see traces of these creatures in the fossil
stromatolites that they built from the sedimentary grains they
trapped. A major shift came around 2.5 billion years ago as blue-green
algae, or cyanobacteria, began releasing oxygen through photosynthesis and slowly transforming the terrestrial atmosphere into the familiar oxygen-rich mixture. However, the atmosphere may not reach modern
oxygen levels until around 425 million years ago.
By 2 billion years ago, some single-celled organisms had engulfed
other simple organisms, producing more complex internal structures,
cells with nuclei, mitochondria, and, in some cases, chloroplasts. Over another billion years, multicellular organisms developed and the
three “kingdoms” split from one another: plants, fungi, and animals.
The Cambrian Explosion around 539 million years ago led to a huge
diversification in oceanic lifeforms. Within another 40 million years,
both plants and animals had colonized land. The Great Ordovician
Biodiversification Event further increased the diversity of life 489
million years ago.
Even as new plant and animal forms continue to appear in the fossil
record, scientists also see evidence of at least five mass extinction
events. The most drastic occurred about 250 million years ago at the
end of the Permian period and cleared the way for the rise of dinosaurs. They fell victim to the most recent extinction event, the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K/T) extinction, which allowed mammals to thrive. The earliest hominids, or proto-humans, appeared around 3.9 million
years ago. Our current homo sapiens have been present for about
300,000 years.
We share our planet with about 8.7 million other species. As the
dominant species, we are modifying our habitat and that of many
species. In addition to sending satellites to distant planets, NASA
maintains a fleet of Earth observing missions that monitors changing
conditions on our own planet, including the range and compositions of
our forests on land and distribution and quantities of phytoplankton in our oceans. Data collected by these missions allows us to see how
our world is changing and make intentional choices for the future of life on Earth.
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Hunting for Canis Venatici By Jennifer Bartlett
If sky conditions are favorable, find your darkest local skies and
search for Canis Venatici, the hunting dogs of Boötes, the herdsman,
or at least the brightest star in this constellation Cor Caroli. At
about 9 PM, look for the Big Dipper (Ursa Major the Big Bear) high in
the north to northeast. The Canis Venatici are nestled just southward
under the handle of the Dipper. You might find it easier to follow the
arc of the handle to Arcturus in Boötes. Then, spike further down southward to Spica in Virgo the maiden. Next, continue southwest and higher in the sky to Denebola in Leo the lion. Complete your "Great Diamond" shape by moving even higher in the sky and back towards the south to Cor Caroli. Dogs and bears and lions, men and women; we have traditionally named our constellations after legendary animals and people, representing in the sky the rich tapestry of life on Earth.
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May Sky detail courtesy Stellarium
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Mission to Europa by Jim Thorne In Nashville, they say that “it all starts with a song.” Based on my time working on space navigation at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, I wrote a story song about a visit to Europa, the icy moon of Jupiter to explore the ocean underneath the ice for signs of life. |
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The song started out as an album recording, then appeared in a TV series called “Space Quest with Dr. Jim,” was included a young-adult adventure novel, and now is the background for a 3D-animated full dome video for the planetarium.
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This graphic novel page shows samples of scenes from the animation, including a space station near Venus, three spaceships, two astronauts named Tommy and Laura and their companion robots PIPER and VISTA, and even a yellow robotic submarine. The images of planets and moons come from real NASA data. Hopefully soon, you can come to the David M. Brown Planetarium to see the show!
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Happy Birthday, Hubble! By Kathi Overton
The Hubble Space Telescope has now been in Earth orbit for 35 years. The bus sized telescope overcame a flawed primary mirror with some corrective optics, and was serviced in space by astronauts several times for other repairs and upgrades. Taking advantage of its location above Earth’s atmosphere, the telescope has made more than 1.6 milliion observations and generated more than 430 terabytes of data. Hubble has observed everything from planets in our own solar system to the most distant galaxies in the universe, and data from the telescope has changed our understanding of the cosmos.
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Hubble 35th Anniversary Graphic.
Image Credit: NASA
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History of Earth is Written in Her Rocks By Jennifer Bartlett
Geology traces the evolution of the surface of the Earth through its
rock. Paleontology traces the history of life on Earth through the fossil record, remains embedded in rocks.
Mary Anning (1799–1847) discovered the first complete Ichthyosaurus,
complete Plesiosaurs, and the first English Pterodactyl fossils near
her home in Lyme Regis, England. Her “monstrous” finds along with her
drawings of them provided evidence that some species that had lived in
the past no longer existed. The possibility of extinction did not fit
well with t19th-century Biblical theories of creation. Such ideas paved the way for Charles Darwin’s (1809-1882) theory of evolution.
As a child, Anning collected fossils along the cliffs with her father.
Lyme Regis is known for its Jurassic era deposits. After his death,
she sold fossils to tourists and scientists to support her family. In
1811, she spent months excavating her first significant find. She identified fossilized excrement from finding stones containing fish scales and bones within the abdomens of ichthyosaurs. Although self-taught, her specimens contributed to the founding of modern paleontology and expanded our knowledge of ancient life forms.
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Photo credit: amaruniversitypress.com
More about Mary Anning: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/mary-anning-forgotten-fossil-hunter-british-jurassic-coast Mary Anning statue: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mary_Anning_statue.jpg |
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This message has been sent to you from the Friends of Arlington's Planetarium.
Friends of Arlington's David M. Brown Planetarium
P.O. Box 7029
Arlington, VA 22207 USA
Copyright (C) 2025 Friends of Arlington's David M. Brown Planetarium (FOAP). All rights reserved.
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