- University News Archive - 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock /news-archive/tag/the-night-sky/ 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Mon, 10 Jun 2019 12:58:36 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Heath shares love of astronomy with central Arkansas /news-archive/2019/06/10/darrell-heath-astronomy/ Mon, 10 Jun 2019 12:58:36 +0000 /news/?p=74504 ... Heath shares love of astronomy with central Arkansas]]> Last month, many scientists were saddened by the ending of the television program, 鈥淭he Big Bang Theory,鈥 which popularized physics, astronomy, and other scientific topics that often seemed out of reach to people.聽 Darrell Heath, an animal lab technician at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, can especially relate to the child character of Sheldon, a young misunderstood genius growing up in a small, religious, conservative town in Texas, portrayed in the 鈥淭he Big Bang Theory鈥 spinoff 鈥淵oung Sheldon.鈥 鈥淚 can very much relate to young Sheldon, a very smart kid growing up in the South,鈥 Heath said. 鈥淚 can relate to a lot of the things Sheldon goes through with his family, teachers, and church. I relate to young Sheldon, not as a genius by any means, but as a kid who just doesn’t feel as though he fits in with the rest of the crowd.鈥 Often described as 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 space expert (though Heath calls himself a 鈥渄evout astronomy enthusiast鈥), he is the man who sends out emails about the best time to view the International Space Station, planets, meteor showers, eclipses, and other heavenly bodies. Heath, who has a passion for space and astronomy that he loves to share with others, thinks that most people have a natural interest in space. 鈥淚 think people are inherently interested in the mysterious and unknown, and space represents that,鈥 he said. 鈥The night sky has inspired us over the centuries. It鈥檚 inspired religious leaders, artists, poets, scientists, and scholars. Before we knew what stars and planets were, we were looking at the night sky and telling stories about gods and monsters. The stars were our storybooks.鈥 After getting involved in amateur astronomy in 2005 and taking an astronomy course with Dr. Tony Hall at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, Heath has served as past president and is the current outreach coordinator of the Central Arkansas Astronomical Society, which hosts star parties and other educational events on space and astronomy. He is also a volunteer with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory鈥檚 Solar System Ambassador program, dedicated to conveying to the public information about NASA鈥檚 ongoing missions to explore the solar system.
Darrell Heath is a volunteer in the NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Solar System Ambassador Program, which works to communicate the science and excitement of NASA's space exploration missions and discoveries, some of which can be seen here in the NASA Hubble Space Telescope exhibit at the Laman Public Library in North Little Rock. Photo by Ben Krain.

Darrell Heath is a volunteer in the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Solar System Ambassador Program, which works to communicate the science and excitement of NASA’s space exploration missions and discoveries, some of which can be seen here in the NASA Hubble Space Telescope exhibit at the Laman Public Library in North Little Rock. Photo by Ben Krain.

鈥淚 do outreach programs for NASA鈥檚 Jet Propulsion Laboratory and talk about the latest missions that are happening in the solar system,鈥 Heath said. 鈥淭his has been a fun experience for me. I travel around the state and do programs in schools and parks. It鈥檚 always nice to see the support people have for science, space, and NASA.鈥 In 2015, Cheryl Hellman, director of university television, saw an opportunity to share Heath鈥檚 knowledge with a larger audience. 鈥淚 am always looking for interesting people at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock that we can put on the university television channel,鈥 Hellman said. 鈥淒arrell had been putting out announcements about interesting things that were going on in the sky. We talked about doing a monthly television segment. That became 鈥楾he Night Sky.鈥欌 Every month, Heath produces a short episode of 鈥淭he Night Sky鈥 about topics in space and astronomy. Episodes have included the mythology of the constellations, tips for observing meteor showers and eclipses, a buyer鈥檚 guide for telescopes, amazing facts about the moon, and meteorites at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. He also writes companion articles posted on the website that include highlights of night sky for the month and a feature story about a phenomenon in space. 鈥溾楾he Night Sky鈥 has become one of our most popular shows on the university channel,鈥 Hellman said. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l see some episodes on YouTube that have more than 100,000 views. It鈥檚 watched all over the globe, and it鈥檚 used in classrooms as part of educational programs. It鈥檚 a very popular show. Darrell puts a lot of heart and soul into this program.鈥 Heath said that his newfound popularity as an expert on space has led him to some unusual conversations. 鈥淚 get emails from all across the world,鈥 he said. 鈥淧eople always want to know if I have seen a UFO, and kids ask me if I have been in space. I have people come up and tell me what a full moon will do to them.鈥 While he鈥檚 never seen a UFO, a close encounter at one of the Central Arkansas Astronomical Society鈥檚 summer star parties led to a memorable experience. 鈥淲e did a star party at Pinnacle Mountain State Park one June. There must have been 300 or 400 people in the crowd,鈥 he said. 鈥淎ll of a sudden, I began to notice that people were looking in the sky and pointing their cell phones up there. Up in the sky, there was a formation of green lights moving slowly across the sky in uniform. It was kind of creepy at first. Then we turned our telescopes on it, and we realized it was a group of Chinese lanterns that the wind was carrying away in a pattern. At first, it looked like an alien invasion, but it turned out to just be a wedding.鈥 For anyone interested in getting started in astronomy, Heath recommends 鈥淭he Stars: A New Way to See Them鈥 by H.A. Rey, the inventor of Curious George. 鈥淎ll a person needs to get started stargazing is just their eyes,鈥 Heath said. 鈥淲e have all looked at the sky with wonderment and curiosity. I think people are inherently curious about the universe I see that every time we do a star party. We have hundreds of people show up, and I鈥檓 amazed by how excited they are.鈥 聽]]> Weekend University will have participants seeing stars /news-archive/2019/03/19/stargazing/ Tue, 19 Mar 2019 13:37:45 +0000 /news/?p=73730 ... Weekend University will have participants seeing stars]]> The University of Arkansas at Little Rock鈥檚 next Weekend University class on April 6 will teach central Arkansans the basics of stargazing. Darrell Heath, past president of the , will lead the discussion from 1:30-3 p.m. at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Downtown, 333 President Clinton Ave. The cost is $15. Participants will learn how to explore the cosmos from their own backyards and find out what can be seen in the sky with the unaided eye or a simple pair of binoculars. Heath will teach attendees how to identify constellations, observe the moon and planets, and use star maps and planispheres. He will also will discuss why the night sky changes over time, and he will lead viewers through the 鈥渃elestial zoo鈥 in order to appreciate the diversity of objects that exist in the night sky. , part of the university鈥檚 Extended Education program, is led by 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock faculty and staff. Heath, who works in 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 biology department, is the host, writer, and producer for the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock television series 鈥The Night Sky鈥 and is a volunteer with the NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory Solar System Ambassador program. Registration is available 聽For more information, contact Christine Cotton, director of Extended Education, at cecotton@ualr.edu.   Photo: Darrell Heath hosts “The Night Sky” on 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Television.  ]]>