Versant Power Astronomy Center and Maynard Jordan Planetarium

News release Oct. 19, 2020 Contact: Shawn Laatsch, shawn.laatsch@maine.edu   UMaine Emera Astronomy Center is now Versant Power Astronomy Center   Orono, Maine — The University of Maine Emera Astronomy Center will change its name to Versant Power Astronomy Center, reflecting the new ownership of the state’s second-largest electric utility. The University of Maine System […]

Over the last few years, astronomers have discovered thousands of exoplanets, planets that orbit around other stars. Among those thousands, are several dozen planets that are in what we call, the Habitable Zone, a region around a star where there is a possibility that a planet could host liquid water. Of those, fewer still are believed […]

You might think you know all about the fourth planet from the sun, but do you? Here are some CRAZY facts about our beloved Red Planet.   Mars has seasons! Yes, just like our home planet, Mars experiences a tilt in its axis, which causes it to experience a spring, summer, fall, and winter because […]

10 Facts about the Milky Way Emalee Couture 9/18/15 1. It’s warped. The Milky Way is a disk that measures about 120,000 light years across, with a central bulge that has a diameter of about 12,000 light years. The disk is not perfectly flat though, it is warped due to our neighboring galaxies Large and […]

Can We Create the Perfect Spacesuit? Amy Lyons 04.09.2015 – Even with all of the space missions we’ve gone on, there has yet to be a “perfect” spacesuit that will function for any mission. For example, the US ACES suits and the Russian Sokol suits are only designed for launch and reentry, and can’t be […]

  By Hannah Kavanaugh 3.30.15 – Also known as a “Blood Moon”, a total lunar eclipse will occur on average, once a year, but seeing them from your location is by no means a guarantee. Though rare, sometimes a “lunar tetrad” will occur, where four lunar eclipses happen in a relatively short amount of time. […]

By Amy Lyons   Have you ever wondered how planets come into being? There are many different theories about how planets formed, with the leading theory known as the “protoplanet hypothesis.” This hypothesis states that smaller objects continued to stick together until they grew bigger and bigger. There are many different planets in our Solar […]

By Amy Lyons What exactly is a black hole? Put simply, a black hole is a spot in the universe where there is a large gravity pull. Now, here are 10 fun facts about black holes! 1. You Can’t Directly See a Black Hole. A black hole is called a black hole because of it’s […]

Don’t miss out on the rare, tight cluster of heavenly bodies that can be seen in Maine backyards this month! Featured in each star show, the Planetarium’s Definiti digital visualization theater presents a model of the universe that will show visitors how to view a rare group of worlds in the Maine sky and how […]

    What is the Smallest Star? By Amy Lyons Have you ever wondered what the smallest star you can see with your own eyes is? How about how small a star can become? First, let’s begin with a basic definition of a star: a star is an object that has enough mass and pressure […]