Radford University Physics

05/03/2026

05/03/2026

One of the great traditions that we have is our Graduates' Breakfast on the morning of Radford University's Commencement. This gives everyone a chance to gather one last time, this time including their families and friends. And, other graduates who are permanent members of the "Physics family" who were able to join us. This gives the Physics faculty a chance to meet (often again) the families who have done such a great job getting their graduates to this milestone. And, it gives the families a chance to talk more with the faculty members who have been so involved with their grads over the years. It's often bittersweet since we (faculty) have invested so much in these students who we will miss so much.

05/03/2026

On Friday, April 24, 2026 the students in the Radford University Physics Department were given unprecedented recognition at the annual Student Awards Ceremony. Physics Dean's Scholar Athena Smith was designated one of the 4 Radford University Outstanding Students. Junior Lily Backus was also designated a Radford University Outstanding Student. And the Society of Physics Students (SPS) was designated as the single Radford University Outstanding Student Organization. Never before has one department been so honored and recognized as having so many outstanding students.

04/13/2026

The show for the Radford University Planetarium for the Thursday-Sunday shows the next two weeks (April 16-19 and 23-26) is "Audio Universe: Tour of the Solar System." Our last show of the spring semester will be Sunday, April 26.

Experience the Solar System like never before - by traveling on a spacecraft that can turn the objects in space into sound!

The audience of this stunning 35 minute show are transported inside a special spacecraft that takes them to the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) to view the stars in the night sky, before lifting them off into space to visit the Earth, Moon, Sun and all the planets of the Solar System.

Unlike traditional planetarium shows the soundtrack takes the lead role. Each of the objects in space are represented with sounds as well as being presented with the incredible visuals. The audience listen to the stars appear and hear the planets orbit around their heads. This means that this show is an immersive experience that can be enjoyed irrespective of level of vision.

This show is designed to be educational for children but proves to be an entertaining experience for people of all ages.

This show was produced by Theofanis Matsopoulos (www.matsopoulos.com). This project was funded by a Science and Technology Facilities Council Spark Award and a Royal Astronomical Society Education and Outreach Small Grant. There were also valuable contributions from: The Institute of Cosmology & Gravitation at the University of Portsmouth, Newcastle Children’s Vision Team, The VIEWS group Newcastle and The Great North Museum: Hancock.

The Radford University Planetarium spring semester shows are Thursday , Friday , Saturday @10:30am and , and Sunday .
https://www.radford.edu/planetarium

04/03/2026

We had a great experience this past weekend, March 27-28 hosting the Society of Physics Students Regional Zone 4 Meeting. Over 60 physics students and faculty from Virginia, Maryland and DC attended this event highlighting and supporting physics students. Highlights included over 20 posters presented by students. Our featured speaker was Dr. Shane Larson of Clarkson University who gave a talk about the future of gravitational wave observing in space titled "AN AUDACIOUS ENTERPRISE: LISA and the Future of Gravitational Wave Astronomy." Our famous SPS and Physics Department mascot Natural Log was in attendance, taking selfies and supervising the whole endeavor. Since we have the unique resource of our planetarium we were able to have a "Highlight Your Chapter" session where SPS chapters from the attending schools sent us pictures that we put on the planetarium dome for them to control via their phones. It was a great experience for all, and we look forward to traveling to whomever hosts the next meeting next spring.

04/01/2026

There will be no Radford University Planetarium show on Sunday, April 5 due to a scheduling conflict. The shows Thursday-Saturday, April 2-4 will happen as scheduled. These shows Thursday-Saturday will feature "Supermassive Black Holes: Uncovering the Invisible."

The Radford University Planetarium spring semester shows are Thursday , Friday , Saturday @10:30am and , and Sunday .

The planetarium at Radford University is the center for astronomy and space science education for the University and the surrounding area. We offer regular free public shows and host numerous K-12 and community groups.

03/23/2026

The Radford University Planetarium will not have our usual public shows this coming Thursday-Saturday, March 26-28 due to the Physics Department hosting the Society of Physics Students Regional Zone 4 meeting. We will have our regular 4 p.m. show on Sunday, March 29.

The show for the Radford University Planetarium for Sunday March 29 is "Supermassive Black Holes: Uncovering the Invisible."

Leading scientists in observational and theoretical studies of black holes and galaxies, industrial experts in cutting-edge big technologies, and professionals in science dissemination have been brought together to set up research projects which will combine the latest state-of-the-art observations, numerical simulations and innovative analytic tools to compare theory with observation, and shed light on the physics of black hole formation in the context of galaxy evolution. This planetarium show presents the environments of black holes in an impressive and understandable way to the audience.

This amazing 21-minute show was produced by our friends at BiD4BEST and received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 860744.

The Radford University Planetarium spring semester shows are Thursday , Friday , Saturday @10:30am and , and Sunday .
https://www.radford.edu/planetarium

03/16/2026

March 19-22

The show for the Radford University Planetarium for this week's Thursday-Sunday shows (March 19-22) is "Cosmic Mashups."

Supermassive black holes are found in most galaxies and we're beginning to uncover how the merging of galaxies activates galactic centers. This engaging fulldome film was produced by Fiske Planetarium in collaboration with CU Boulder APS Professor, Dr. Julie Comerford and former graduate student Dr. Becky Nevin through support from an NSF award.

The Radford University Planetarium spring semester shows are Thursday , Friday , Saturday @10:30am and , and Sunday .
https://www.radford.edu/planetarium