HartRAO and Site Testing

Main HartRAO dish

Radio telescopes study the universe using radio signals from the universe, but the same telescopes will also pick up radio signals made by humans here on Earth. Therefore, one of the big challenges for any radio astronomy project is finding a site for the telescope where the man-made signals don’t get in the way….

We recently made a trip out to the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO) facility, west of Johannesburg to investigate the site for use in a new radio telescope project called HIRAX. We need a site that is quiet enough that man-made signals don’t overload our system (like they do in Durban, or most big cities).

Running the spectrum analyzer.

Testing Antenna pointed at the eastern horizon

The way that you do this is to set up an antenna which is designed to work in the frequency band where you’re interested in working, and measure the frequency spectrum picked up by the antenna. To measure the worst of the man-made signals, you point the antenna at the horizon. Meanwhile, if you want to get an estimate of the actual signals your telescope will see, you point the telescope at the zenith.

So, over the course of an afternoon, we took many measurements in multiple sites around the facility to estimate the man-made signals (or RFI).

HartRAO at night

Because we wanted to monitor the site to see if the RFI varies as a function of time, we had to stay overnight and take late-night measurements as well. This gave me an opportunity to play with my camera to try and get some night shots.

Night Sky at HartRAO

One of the amazing things about living in the Southern Hemisphere is the fact that the night sky is new to me and brighter than I’m used to. This is because the center (brightest part) of the Milky Way galaxy is only visible in the south. I tried to get a shot of the amazing view, which only kind of worked, the streaks of light are single stars which show up as streaks due to the long exposure time.

It was interesting to see the shift in climate from Durban, even though it’s a short flight/few hour drive away. Inevitably, the monkeys were still around and we did get a few glimpses of other exotic animals like ostriches and giraffes. However, the most noticeable thing was the fact that the hills were covered with brown grass rather than anything green.

So, it was fun to see another part of South Africa, and we got some good measurements that demonstrate the site’s feasibility for our project.

Expat Challenges: The First Few Weeks

I’ve now been in Durban for a few weeks, and I’m slowly adjusting to life in a new country.

Language

Fortunately for me, English is widely spoken here (and most of the signs are in English as well). To be sure, I sometimes have to strain to understand the accent and the change in colloquialisms. I also have to be careful not to confuse people with my accent as well.

Driving

One of the big differences here is the fact that South Africans drive on the opposite side of the road from the United States. For the most part this isn’t too bad, but sometimes I have to catch myself on turns (since the right turn is now the complicated turn rather than the left turn).

To make things worse, street signs are often missing (or hidden). This means that directions have to be given via landmarks, and I generally try to look at a map before I go anywhere new.

In addition, most of the cars here have manual transmissions. I’m currently trying to learn how to drive a manual, which isn’t easy with all the hills here.

Paperwork

Getting all the proper paperwork done has been a complex game of “chicken or egg”, but I’m finally getting everything straightened out. Acquiring a South African bank account has been especially complex, as they need lots of documentation from your work. And, of course, you need a bank account to get paid. Cell phone SIM cards are easier, although you do have to make sure that your phone is unlocked first (oops).

Housing

For the first month or so I’m staying in this little garden cottage rented via Airbnb near the center of Durban. It’s very small and has almost no kitchen (reminds me of living in the dorms in college, except with a much better view). It’s a nice simple place for the short term, and gives me time to figure out a more permanent arrangement.

Timing

One of the biggest adjustments I’ve had to deal with so far has been the change in active times. Because Durban is on the east side of a wide time zone, the sun rises and sets very early in the day. This has led to the city functioning on a much earlier schedule than I’m used to as people try to get home before sunset (which is currently around 5:30 pm). I’ve never been a morning person, and I’ve had to shift my perception of what time I should be at work.

The shift in timing means that stores also tend to close quite early. Most stores are closed between 5-6 pm on weekdays, and even grocery stores are generally closed by 7 pm.

Weather

As far as I’ve heard (and can tell), Durban has pretty mild weather year-round. It was a bit of a mental adjustment to go from midsummer to midwinter, but winter here rarely goes below 60’s Fahrenheit so it’s not really that cold. To be sure, the fact that it’s winter does mean that the length of the daytime is shorter. I’ve been told that other parts of the country experience more dramatic extremes of weather, but for now I’m enjoying the fact that I don’t have to deal with snow in winter anymore.

 

Taking a Break and Visiting the Huntington Gardens

One of the nice things about taking a break between graduation and starting my new job is the opportunity to relax and spend time with my family. It has been a very long time since I’ve spent an extended amount of time without having to go to work. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying having a break that was long enough that I didn’t feel like I had to schedule everything carefully in order to fit it into the time available.

Of course, I did have some scheduled activities, but I was able to spread them out so that I wasn’t doing them back-to-back. For example, we decided one day to go out and visit the Huntington gardens. My younger brother David is currently preparing to travel overseas as well, and has a new camera to use on his travels. We decided that a visit to the gardens was a perfect way to experiment with a new camera.

View from the patio of one of the museum buildings looking out towards the main gardens.

I had never been to the site before, but it was recommended by one of my other brothers as one of the largest botanical gardens in the area. The Huntington is actually a museum and library, as well as having extensive gardens, but our focus was on the outdoor spaces.

A few of my favorite plants in the desert gardens.

The gardens are broken up into sections based on climate or geographic area. Our first stop was the desert garden, which was quite extensive as the climate in Los Angeles is pretty friendly for most desert plants. I was surprised at the sheer variety of colors to be found within this climate category, given that deserts are usually considered to be a pretty desolate environments.

Some of the wide variety of succulents found at the gardens.

One part of the desert gardens was the succulents greenhouse. The greenhouse was full of succulents for whom the climate in Los Angeles isn’t close enough to their natural habitat. Beyond the succulents that were familiar to me, I was surprised at the sheer variety of species that could be seen in the greenhouse.

There were species that didn’t even look like plants, and some of the most intriguing details were found when you looked real close. Of course, many of the succulents have spikes of some kind so you don’t want to get too close…

Section of the Japanese Garden

There is also a very nice Japanese garden, with traditional features such as a bamboo forest, bonsai display, flowing waterways, and an arched bridge. We took a while to sit and enjoy the sense of tranquility that I’ve always found in that environment.

Small waterfall flowing into the pool of the Chinese garden. My younger brothers can be seen on the other side of the waterfall.

Next to the Japanese garden, was a Chinese garden. This section of the facility is still under development, but is centered around a beautiful pond with various Chinese style structures on all sides.

We stopped in the Chinese garden to have lunch and tea in the little cafe next to the pond. It was quite nice to relax and enjoy the ambiance, but we were running out of time and still had many sections of the garden to see. Unfortunately, our time at the gardens was limited.

Pomegranate Tree in the Herb garden, and flowers in the Shakespeare garden.

Our last stop of the day was a brief visit to some of the smaller gardens around the museum buildings. There was a rose garden with a huge collection of different rose varieties of many colors. Meanwhile, the herb garden was full of edible plants. There was a single pomegranate tree, which reminded me of the orchards that I had seen in India. One of the gardens was called the Shakespeare garden, where many of the plants are those mentioned in his famous works.

I can certainly see how people in the area could visit the gardens many times without running out of things to see…

Road Trippin’ Pt 4: Zion Canyon and Heading “Home”

Zion Canyon, as seen from the Pa’rus Trail.

Hiking in Zion Canyon

I knew based on my inability to make a reservation that getting a campsite in Zion would require an early arrival. So when I headed into the park I stopped to get a campsite as my first thing in the morning. Even so, nearly all of the sites were full and I was only barely able to find a spot.

Hiking the Narrows.

Like the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park also has a shuttle system, so I could leave my car at the campsite. I decided that my first stop would be one of the most famous features of Zion, namely “the Narrows”.

This narrow slot canyon runs along the Virgin river at the head of Zion canyon, with only enough space for the river to run in many places. Despite this, because the river is quite shallow (no more than a foot or two in most places) it is common practice to hike the river. I decided to try the hike for at least a short distance, and found myself wading through very cold water up to about my knees, completely inundating my sneakers. Because the river twists and turns, around each corner was a new sight to see.

This was one of the more unique hiking experiences that I had ever had, and one that made me wish I had a hiking stick. Eventually, I decided to turn around and head back to the main canyon. Fortunately, I managed to make it back to the trail-head without falling.

Section of the Kayenta trail that passed through a crack in the canyon walls.

View along one side of the main Zion canyon walls.

Following the success of my first hike, I decided that I was up for a second before lunch. One of the interesting things about the park, was that they don’t sell bottled water. Instead, they have water filling stations at many of the trail-heads. I had finished off the water I had been carrying on my previous hike, so I filled up my water bottle and set off up the Kayenta trail. This trail would take me to the Emerald pools, which I thought sounded interesting.

Small waterfall that fills the lower Emerald Pool.

Unfortunately, I had underestimated how tired and overheated I was after the first hike. This meant that I had to take the nearly 2 mile hike slowly, especially as the first half was mostly in the sun and uphill.

Eventually I turned off into the side canyon where the Emerald Pools were located, and was very glad of the shade. The pools themselves were very pretty, and one of the neat features of the pools is that they are common watering holes for local wildlife.

In addition, the trail actually led behind the waterfall that fills the pool, so I was able to enjoy the moisture and coolness that came from the rocks. At the end of the hike, I was very glad to be done and immediately went to grab lunch.

Things to See

Court of the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob).

The set of hikes that I had done had taken so much out of me that I ended up heading back to the campground after lunch to rest. This also let me relax in the shade during the hottest part of the day, which is a good idea when you’re in the desert.

Later on, as the afternoon began to turn into evening, I headed back out to see some of the views that I had skipped earlier in the day. One of these was the Court of the Patriarchs, a section of the canyon wall named by a Christian pastor after the patriarchs of Genesis. I also took this as an opportunity to snap a picture of myself that wasn’t done selfie style.

Some of the flowers I saw in the canyon, as well as the mule deer that was hanging out in the campground.

One of my favorite things to do when exploring is to check out the native flora and fauna. This is especially true when there are flowers blooming. The cacti had blooms of several colors, although it was almost the end of spring so there weren’t many left.

Inside the campsite, there was a lone mule deer just sitting there grazing. I was able to get much closer to her than I would have thought possible (only a few feet away), but I guess that’s what happens with animals that live in a protected area.

As the day came to an end, I was pleasantly surprised that the camp ground wasn’t too noisy or rowdy. I guess a big part of that was the fact that most of the campers had just spent the day hiking. Unlike in the Grand Canyon, the weather was reasonably warm so I wasn’t shivering under all of my covers.

View of the east entrance to the Zion-Mt Carmel tunnel from the overlook trail.

The next morning I decided to head up the side of the canyon to check out the overlook trail before I left the park. One of the interesting things about the road is the Zion-Mt Carmel tunnel. This tunnel, which was originally built in the 1920s, is over a mile in length. The trail-head for the overlook trail is just on the other side of the tunnel from the canyon.

Hiking the overlook trail is not for those who are afraid of heights, as sections of the trail are quite narrow with no railing. But, once you reach the end of the trail and look out onto Zion Canyon from above, you can’t help but admire the magnificent view. It was the perfect way to end my time in Zion.

View of Zion Canyon from the end of the Overlook Trail.

 Onward and Westward

From Zion National Park, it is an afternoon’s drive to my parent’s house in the foothills southeast of Los Angeles. This was a drive full of desert landscapes and sparse vegetation. I even passed through Las Vegas along the way, but chose not to stop. I was ready to be done with my time on the road.

Joshua Tree at the rest stop near the border between Nevada and California.

One thing that I did stop to see was one of my favorite plants found in the American Southwest, namely the Joshua Tree. This plant has special meaning to me, in part because it shares the name of my older brother. Most of my memories of seeing it as a child were also during family road trips, so that adds to the nostalgia.

Of course, one of the inevitable things about driving into the Los Angeles area, is encountering traffic. Fortunately I didn’t have too much to deal with, and was able to make it to my parents house in the afternoon. Since I’ve never actually lived at this house (my parents moved in after I started graduate school), it’s not quite home. Still, I was glad to be able to sleep in my old bed and finally begin visiting with my family.

Road Trippin’ Pt 3: The Majesty of the Grand Canyon

View of the Grand Canyon from the South Rim at Mohave Point looking west in the late afternoon. The Colorado River can be seen in the background.

Grand Canyon South Rim

From Petrified Forest I headed up into the mountains to visit the Grand Canyon National Park in Northern Arizona. It was the first time that I had seen the Grand Canyon since our family vacation over 20 years ago.  I was a young child at the time, so I didn’t remember much of the visit (other than my mother freaking out about the kids going too close to the edge).

Walking along the rim trail near Mohave point, west of the visitor center.

I had decided in advance to camp in the park, and made reservations. This meant that I wasn’t too worried about the time I got into the park since my spot was guaranteed.

By the time I got into the park it was a few hours before sunset. I had enough time to set up my campsite before heading out to the rim. In order to cut down on traffic within the park, they have a bus system set-up to get people around the main area of the park. I took one of the buses down along the rim west of the main complex so that I could hike part of the rim before sunset. Each lookout point along the route was amazing, but different.

Grand Canyon South Rim at Powell Point looking East (right before sunset).

As sunset approached I  settled down to watch the colors change across the land and sky. While capturing the sun itself was an exercise in futility, I was able to get some great pictures of how the sun cast some amazing shadows that varied over time.

Grand Canyon South Rim at Powell Point looking East (right after sunset).

Another entertaining thing was watching all of the people who were there visiting the park. Some people were trying to take lots of twee photos with the sunset, while others even brought easels and settled down to sketch or paint the sunset.

Of course, one of the interesting features of visiting famous landmarks is the fact that visitors come from all over the world. It is always fascinating trying to identify the languages being spoken as you walk the trails.

Mather Point Overlook

The following morning, I headed over to the main overlook at Mather Point, near the Grand Canyon Visitor Center. Because this is the default first stop for most visitors, the overlook was pretty crowded. But it was a gorgeous view, especially as the overlook gave a nearly 270 degree view of the canyon.

View from Grandview Point along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

After stopping at the visitor center, I decided to spend the morning slowly driving along the road that follows the south rim of the park. Every few miles I would stop at an overlook  to see the latest view of the canyon. It was interesting to notice the contrast between the tree lines at each viewpoint, depending on the exact shape of the slope.

Heading North

Navajo Bridge across the Colorado River near the Vermillion Cliffs.

As I left the park, I headed east and north, to get around the canyon and head towards Utah. Once I got around the wide parts of the canyon, I headed down the slope to a point where I could actually cross the Colorado river.

The closest crossing to the south rim was passing through the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument and driving across the Navajo Bridge. It was a beautiful sight, with lots of rocks and boulders around the road.

Looking north from the Kaibab forest towards Utah.

From there I drove up the quite steep slope towards the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, entering the Kaibab forest. I was surprised how chilly it really was up at these high altitudes, unlike the warmer temperatures I had just experienced.  I decided that I didn’t need to see the North Rim, so instead I headed north out of the forest towards Utah.

At the Kaibab forest overlook.

My next destination was Zion National Park, a couple of hours north into Utah. One of the odd things about spending one night in Arizona, then heading up into Utah, was the time difference. Since Arizona is on Mountain time but doesn’t observe daylight savings time, it is in sync with California in the Summer and with Utah in the Winter.

By the time I got into the park, it was close to sunset. I had been unable to reserve a campsite and the first come, first serve sites were completely full. So I ended up driving down to a hotel for the night. I would head back into the park the next morning.

Road Trippin’ Pt 2: Driving the American Southwest

Continuing the Drive

Once I left Oklahoma City, I was ready to do a bit more exploring along the way. I decided to push a long ways in the first day, and made it all the way across to the New Mexico/Arizona border. As I drove I got to see the desert and all the beautiful colors of rock that are found in the region.

I’ve always loved the sense of calm that comes in driving across the desert, as there really isn’t a lot of activity. It’s almost like the world is holding its breath during the day, just waiting for night to come.

View of the Painted Desert from one of the Overlooks

Petrified Forest National Park

Desert Yucca Flowers

Just across the Arizona border, and right off Interstate 40, was my next stop. Petrified Forest National Park is one of the smaller parks, so it doesn’t require a lot of time to view. I spent a couple of hours and drove the main trail through the park.

The first thing that you encounter when you come in through the main entrance is a series of overlooks which look out onto the painted desert. This beautiful landscape has such vibrant reds and oranges that it almost doesn’t look real.

Small desert globemallow in front of a petrified tree stump.

Although there is not much vegetation to be found in the desert, when you stop to look at the details there is a lot of beauty to be seen. I love to find the bright colors of blooming flowers, or encounter the boldness of the local wildlife.

One of the most interesting examples of the local wildlife was this one large crow. He was hanging out in the parking lot of one of the overlooks. He was almost completely ignoring the people and cars coming and going and at one point he even used one of the cars’ side-view mirrors as a perch.

Petrified log in the Crystal Forest.

Of course, the thing that is most significant about the park is the petrified forests. There are several areas of the park that contain large quantities of petrified logs scattered across the landscape.

I was fascinated by the many different colors to be seen in the logs, from red to orange to purple, and how the outermost layers of the rock look most like the original wood. These logs are just scattered across an otherwise quite desolate landscape, which makes you wonder what the climate must have been like when those trees were alive.

View of the Crystal Forest.

Beyond the petrified forests, the layers of the rock itself tells a story of the history of the region. The banded structure is both beautiful to look at, but also educational for those who know how to read the clues left behind. I am most certainly not a geologist, but I can still appreciate both the beauty and fascination of these complex structures.

Lowest point (and oldest visible rock) in the park.

Road Trippin’ Pt 1: Off on an Adventure

One of the challenges of moving abroad is deciding what to do with your stuff. After almost six years in Pittsburgh, I had a fully furnished apartment filled with things. However, I don’t want to take any more with me to South Africa than what I can fit into the appropriate suitcases.

So, obviously, I was going to have to downsize. I decided that since I wanted to leave my car with my family, I could use it to move some of my things into storage with them. I managed to get rid of all of my furniture and most of my belongings, then (fully) loaded my car with what remained.

I was driving from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Los Angeles, California. Since the trip takes 3-4 days if you just drive straight, I decided to make an adventure out of it. And so the road trip began…

From Pittsburgh to Oklahoma City

I decided that the part of the country I wanted to explore was the American South West, but I had to get there first. So I motored my way across from Pittsburgh to Oklahoma City, where my Aunt Jane Ann lives.

Along the way, I got to experience the fun of summer storms in the Ohio valley. Getting through the storms was relatively quick, but intense, as each storm pelted large quantities of rain and wind gusts. Fortunately I managed to avoid any severe weather, but even the rain was scary at times.

One of the things that surprised me during the drive was how green the land was east of Oklahoma City. I had always though of the south central US as being more arid and desert, but that doesn’t really start until you get to the southwest. Instead, trees and rolling hills of vegetation continue even after you cross the Mississippi river.

Getting into Oklahoma City, it’s interesting to see how ubiquitous the shift in urban landscaping has become. I saw some of the same trends that I have seen across the country, with the push towards locally sourced markets and small, revival districts right next to areas that are still “sketchy”.

Of course, getting to visit with my Aunt was fun; but I could definitely feel my schedule pushing me to keep going…

 

Expat Challenges Part 1: Getting A Visa

Since I’m going to be living abroad, I thought I’d start a series of posts on the various challenges that I encounter during the process.

One of the first tasks for any expat is getting official permission to work in your new country, aka getting a visa. Obviously, each person’s experience will be different but I’m sure that some things will be the same. For my own visa, the process can be broken up into three parts.

Part I: Acquiring the Necessary Supplemental Forms

Before you can go apply for a visa, you first need to figure out the necessary paperwork that should accompany your application. Some things will be relatively simple, like passport style photos and the application fees. Others can prove to be much more complicated.

For my application I had to get medical forms filled out by my physician, including a check for tuberculosis. I had to make sure that the appropriate forms will filled out and signed.

In addition, I had to get a copy of my FBI background check. This is a two step process, as you first have to get your fingerprints, then you have to send them to the FBI to get the check. One of the best pieces of advice I got was that you want to work through one of the certified expediters, because if you just send the form to the FBI directly it will take much longer to hear back.

Of course, I also needed to bring in paperwork to prove that I had a job waiting for me in South Africa, but I already had that in hand and just had to make a hard copy.

Part II: Turning in the Application

Once you have all the paperwork, you then have to visit the local consulate to apply. Some countries have things set up so you can send in the application via mail, but South Africa required an in-person visit.

My local consulate was the New York office. One of the most important things to do before your visit is to check the times that the visa department is open. For example, the South African consulate only does visa/passport stuff for half of the regular consulate hours. Also, consulates celebrate their home country’s holidays, so they may be closed on a day that is not a holiday in the United States.

Even though I thought I had brought all the right paperwork in for my visa, I ended up having to make adjustments when I arrived. For one, I forgot that the fee to mail the passport back is separate from the application fee (so I had to go get a separate money order for that fee). Fortunately, I arrived at the consulate with plenty of time to figure out solutions before they closed for the day.

Part III: Waiting for Your Visa/Passport

Once you turn in your application, you have to sit back and wait. It is helpful to ask the consulate about how long it will take to get the visa back while you’re there, but then you just have to be patient. Sometimes it can take longer than expected, so give yourself a buffer. Finally, your visa/passport will arrive and you will be ready to head off on your adventure.

I know I can’t wait.

Farewell to Graduate School: Carnegie Mellon University

Now that I’m officially done with my time in Pittsburgh and graduate school at Carnegie Mellon University, I thought that I’d take a moment to look back at the place that I called home for nearly six years.

I was originally planning to take a walk around campus (with pictures) before I left. But, as inevitably happens, moving got in the way. Instead I thought I’d tell the story of my experiences at CMU using some of the pictures that I’ve taken over the years.

It was fun going through some of my archives, and uncovering gems that I’d forgotten.

Front of Doherty Hall (Fall 2009).

When I first arrived on campus, the initial challenge was getting used to the ways that building floors were labelled, with the steep hillside giving the same floor basement views on one side while being several stories up on the other side.

For example, the ground floor at the main entrance to Doherty Hall, one of the physics buildings, is the sixth floor from a different side of the building.

The Fence, with Hunt Library in the background (Fall 2009).

On the other hand, some things felt very familiar. Just like at the University of the Pacific, where I got my bachelor’s degree, CMU has a dedicated place for students to “grafitti”. At CMU, it is the “fence”, a concrete fence that student groups can paint to advertise or celebrate. Students have to paint during the night, and stand guard to make sure that no one else paints over their designs.

“Walking to the Sky” (Summer 2010)

One of the more interesting (good or bad) objects on the campus currently is the “Walking to the Sky” art installation, near the entrance to campus. This tall pole with human figures climbing it, as well as standing at the base was still relatively new when I arrived.

Ironically, when I first got to CMU the installation was damaged and all but one of the human statues (the one at the top) were missing. They had to re-do the footing to fix it over the next year to its original condition.

View from my office (Fall 2011)

After spending so much time at CMU, one of my favorite things about the campus was the view out the window of the office where I lived after my first year (in the basement).  My office was on the top floor of the building looking north, allowing me to see a long distance and watch the weather as it moved through Pittsburgh.

I could see storms coming and going, many forms and intensities of precipitation, and occasionally rainbows as storms moved off to the east.

One of the many outdoor staircases (Winter 2014).

Of course, one of the bigger adjustments for this California girl, was the Pittsburgh weather. I had to get used to the frequent cloudy days and higher humidity than I found back home. And of course, I had to learn to love the winter, despite the snow and freezing temperatures.

CMU campus during “snow-mageddon” (Winter 2010).

The worst storm I saw during my time in Pittsburgh was what we called “snow-maggedon”, the chain of storms that hit during the winter of 2010. This was actually my first winter at CMU, and the only time during my tenure that the university had to cancel classes (for three days) due to the lack of public transit in the city.

We never got quite that level of snow again during my tenure, although we certainly got plenty of icy cold days. I will not miss the cold winds and walking to campus in sub-zero temperatures.

HIbiscus antenna testing outside Wean Hall, where I worked (Spring 2014).

During the past couple of years, I had the joy of taking my experiments out onto the lawn at CMU to run testing. It was always fun to have people (students or otherwise) stop by to chat about my beautiful flower telescopes.

I also love the fact that when I show the pictures of my research during presentations I get to showcase not only the work but also my alma mater.

HIbiscus antenna outside Baker and Porter Halls (Summer 2014).

I know that I will miss the Carnegie Mellon University campus, even as I move on to a new school and new sights. But I will always be an alumni of CMU and can look back with fondness at my time there.

A Tale of Two Planetariums

An important part of scientific research in any field is public outreach to the broader community. Therefore, one of my projects this past year has been the development of a Planetarium show on my area of research. This project was funded as a part of our research grant, and I was very excited to explore a new (to me) avenue of public outreach.

The process of creating this show, entitled “The Hydrogen Sky”, has been an incredible learning experience. There are so many special things you have to know to work in that environment, even compared to regular film-making. We faced many challenges, especially since our small budget meant working with student artists and limited development time. I was also reminded how difficult it can be to explain my research to public audiences.

In developing this show, we were able to work with the local planetarium, the Buhl Planetarium in the Carnegie Science Center. This meant that I frequently visited their facility and learned about their specific capabilities.

Most recently, we had the opportunity to do a viewing of our show in the planetarium and get public feedback on the show. This feedback will help us in future development and improvement of the show. It was scary to have people I don’t know seeing something I had produced, but exciting at the same time. It still amazes me how much different watching something in a planetarium can be from seeing the same show on a flat screen. If you’re interested, the current version of our show can be viewed here.

Meanwhile, I was able to visit the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in New York recently and view their current show. My experience with developing a show of my own made me appreciate their current offerings there even more, and I was curious to observe both the differences and similarities of the two planetariums.

One of the interesting things about the Hayden is that the planetarium is actually shaped like a globe. This means that there is no front to the dome, unlike the Buhl. The configuration requires a different orientation to the show, with the focal point closer to zenith versus the show that we developed.

Even if I never work on a planetarium project again, this experience definitely opened my eyes to the challenges of creating video and especially planetarium shows for the public.