Welcome to Keep Looking Up, the blog series written by our planetarium team, where we share fun space stories and what you might see if you keep looking up.
This summer, Frost Science is excited to celebrate our nation’s semiquincentennial with America250: Celebrating American Innovation, our brand-new initiative highlighting 250 American scientists, innovators, and engineers who made significant contributions to advancing humanity’s collective knowledge of the natural world in the fields of marine science, astronomy, paleontology, human health, and flight.
We are especially thrilled to share how some of the American scientists highlighted have influenced Frost Science as well as the field of science communication.
Astronomer Jack Horkheimer (1938–2010) was a pioneer in both science communication and the history of our museum; his contributions to the field have transformed how we share space science with the community. Beginning his involvement as a volunteer, Horkheimer worked his way up to become the executive director of the Space Transit Planetarium at the Miami Science Museum. Horkheimer completely transformed the traditional planetarium experience, experimenting by incorporating laser technology, storylines, music, and spectacles into each show, a practice that he shared with other planetariums across the country and continues to be common practice at the Frost Planetarium today. During his service as planetarium director, Horkheimer also hosted stargazing parties throughout the community and served as a media commentator for major events like solar eclipses and the rare passing of Halley’s Comet.
In 1976, he collaborated with the local Public Broadcast Service (PBS) to launch Jack Horkheimer: Star Hustler, later renamed Star Gazers, an educational program where Horkheimer taught viewers about astronomical phenomena and how to spot them in the night sky. In addition to being the show’s creator, Horkheimer wrote, produced, and hosted 1,708 episodes of Star Gazers from 1976 to 2010, bringing the marvels of the universe to the living rooms of millions across the nation. Horkheimer famously concluded each episode with his signature invitation for viewers to “keep looking up!” On January 9, 2001, asteroid 11409 Horkheimer was named after him. Jack Horkheimer’s legacy lives on through all the programs shown at the Frost Planetarium and, now, with this new blog series.
Exploring the cosmos with Frost Science doesn’t have to end within the walls of our exhibits. Join us on one of our outreach demonstrations as we expand access to the stars with the rest of our community in South Florida. Take a guided tour of our universe in our Portable Planetarium or spend the evening under the stars with a Night Sky Telescope Viewing, each a personalized educational experience and opportunity to witness celestial phenomena with one of our Frost Science team members.
What’s Happening in the Sky this Month?
June’s Cosmic Forecast: This year’s summer solstice falls on June 21st. The summer solstice marks the first day of the astronomical summer and occurs when the angle of the Earth’s axis of rotation causes the northern hemisphere to be at its maximum tilt toward the sun, giving us the longest day and shortest night of the year.
And, as always, keep looking up!
