Kirshner Previews New Science Museum Film

Smithsonian Professor of Astronomy Robert P. Kirshner '70 described the Hubble Space Telescope's value as a research tool in remarks made at the preview of the Museum of Science's newest planetarium film yesterday.

"The planetarium show gives the flavor for the excitement of using Hubble," said Kirshner of the film, "Hubble's Fantastic Voyage."

Kirshner spoke on the relevance of Hubble as a powerful scientific research tool.

"You shouldn't be older than your mother," said Kirshner, explaining the apparent contradiction between Hubble Space Telescope data, which indicates that the universe is roughly 12 billion years old while the stars are dated at being more than 15 billion years old.

When Kirshner was asked what he thought of the show, he said it was "pretty good."

"There is a big emphasis on visual things. There is not a lot of time [spent] on methods," Kirshner said. "[The show] tries to give the feeling that you can look back in time."

Kirshner said he was asked to speak because of his extensive work using the space telescope and his position on the panel which allocates space telescope time. Kirshner's wife works at the Museum of Science.

"Hubble's Fantastic Voyage" is the second program to air in the Charles Hayden Planetarium since its renovation.

The planetarium has added new lasers and included buttons on the arm rests of the seats to help make viewing films an interactive experience.

Dr. Heidi B. Hammel, who has studied the Schumaker-Levy meteor fragment collision with Jupiter, was also on hand yesterday to answer questions from audience members.

Hammel, a principal research scientist in the Department of Earth, Atmosphere, and Planetary Science at MIT, was featured briefly in the film.

"Hubble's Fantastic Voyage" is an adaptation of The Franklin Institute Science Museum's Fels Planetarium production, and runs 35 minutes. It can be seen by the public starting October 20.