Rainwater Observatory and Planetarium, an educational outreach ministry of French Camp Academy, is part of a Space Art and Astrophotography exhibition that is expected to go on tour throughout the southeastern United States.
Mississippi University for women in Columbus recently hosted the exhibition, and it is scheduled to begin Jan. 24 at Mississippi State University in Starkville. Rainwater Observatory Director Edwin Faughn will give a lecture presentation at 6 p.m. on opening day in the John Grisham Room of the library.
The exhibition combines astrophotography with astronomical or space art and are related but different in purpose and technique, according to Faughn.
In detailing the exhibition, Faughn said astrophotography is the art of photographing anything not on earth. Subjects include planets, the sun, the moon, comets, galaxies and nebulous objects.
Space art is a combination of science and art created in a realist, surrealist or impressionist manner. Faughn’s space art has been featured in and on the covers of numerous international space science magazines, books, websites and plantarium productions. Space art depicts celestial events that are extremely remote, exposed to nimaginably intense radiation, gravity or temperature extremes, basically depicting the next best thing to actually being there based on science and imagination, according to Faughn.
Astrophotograhers taking part in the exhibition are Fred Howell, Bill Kennedy, Jon Talbot, David Teske and Stephen Winkler. Faughn is the space artist.
Howell is professor emeritus in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Kennedy spemnt more than 50 years as a mechanical engineer designing solid rocket motors, satellite thermal control systems, food processing equipment, solar collectors, oil field seismic equipment and semi- conductor processing equipment.
Talbot is an amateur astronomer from Ocean Springs. He is a retired hurricane hunter and meteorologist.
Teske is a retired science teacher. He has taught science in planetariums, nature centers and classrooms. He has been involved with Rainwater Observatory since 1990.
Rainwater Observatory boasts one of the last darkest spots in the southeast United States. It provides day and nighttime astronomy related programming for groups, organizations universities, schools, colleges, science and nature centers, senior adult and youth groups, churches and other faith based organizations.
The observatory is home to one of the largest collection of powerful telescopes in the southeast.
