Media contact: Sue Stevens, (817) 272-3317, sstevens@uta.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

ARLINGTON—On the heels of opening its state-of-the art planetarium, one of the largest in the nation, The University of Texas at Arlington has received a $14,000 grant from NASA to develop a new planetarium show.

The show, titled "Starlight and Life in the Cosmos," will be based on the observations secured with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE).  Assistant Professor Manfred Cuntz, who was part of the NASA/FUSE program, said it was aimed at studying far-UV radiation from K-type main-sequence stars of different stellar age.  FUSE is a NASA-supported astrophysics mission that was launched June 24, 1999, to explore the
universe, using the technique of high-resolution spectroscopy. K-type main-sequence stars are somewhat cooler and less massive than the sun, but are much more numerous. Therefore, these stars are expected to be highly relevant to astrobiology.

The new planetarium show will explore the key role the stars play in the evolution of planets and their suitability for life.
Cuntz will work with Planetarium Director Robert Bonadurer to develop the new show.
The underlying FUSE observing program involves a multi-institutional collaboration led by Dr. Edward F. Guinan, Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, who will be contributing to the presentation.
Cuntz said he expects production on the show to occur this summer.

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