This is the third in a series of Friday posts leading up to TWC’s Shapley Lecturer presentations being given on Thursday through Saturday, October 1st-3rd. The Wilderness Center is honored to host Harlow Shapley Lecturer Dr. Quyen Hart on October 1-3, 2026. The American Astronomical Society (AAS) Harlow Shapley Visiting Lecturers Program brings distinguished astronomers and astronomy educators to schools and communities across North America to share the wonder of the universe and inspire people to bring science into their lives. The Lecturers Program has been a long-running tradition for the Society. It grew out of AAS’s Visiting Professors Program dating back to 1958 and is named in honor of distinguished astronomer and former AAS President Dr. Harlow Shapley (1885-1972). Harlow Shapley was a farm kid from Missouri and the first in his family to attend college. He had not intended to study astronomy, but after taking his first course he was hooked. He got his undergraduate degree in Astronomy from the University of Missouri and his PhD from Princeton University. He served as director of the Harvard College Observatory from 1921 to 1952. During this time his groundbreaking research transformed our understanding of the size of the Milky Way, identifying the true location of the Sun in our galaxy’s outer disk and not at the center of the galaxy as was believed at the time. Shapley participated in the “Great Debate of 1920” over the nature of “spiral nebulae” – what we now call galaxies – were they a part of the Milky Way or their own “island universes” far outside the Milky Way. This issue and debate helped shape the modern concept of the galaxy and began extragalactic astronomy. Shapley was one of three founding lecturers in the AAS Visiting Professors Program, which received intermittent funding from the National Science Foundation from 1958 to 1971. Upon Shapley’s passing, a private donation from the Perkin Fund – established by Richard Scott Perkin, a close friend of Shapley for more than three decades – enabled AAS to continue the Visiting Professors Program beyond the end of federal support. Now renamed in Shapley’s honor, the Harlow Shapley Visiting Lectures Program honors his legacy by continuing his lifelong mission to bring astronomy to broader communities. Check the Shapley Lecture details, pick the lecture date and time that best fits your interest, and join us on October 1st, 2nd, or 3rd for Dr. Hart’s lecture, Rising Above: How Space Telescopes Rewrite Astronomy. Registration is required. All Shapley Lecture activities are free – all lectures, Friday evening planetarium show, and star watch. Whether you’re a lifelong astronomy enthusiast, a student exploring a future in STEM, an educator, or simply someone who has ever looked up and wondered what’s out there, this is an opportunity you won’t want to miss. Written by Robin Gill, Astronomy Education Specialist
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! Awwwooooo! Yip-yip! What's that sound? It's the howling of Ohio's most musical wild canine species, nicknamed the song dog, but otherwise known as the coyote! The coyote is a medium-sized member of the dog family that is found throughout the state, occurring in all 88 counties. The slender canine has pointy ears and snout and resembles a domestic dog such as a German shepherd or collie. The tail is carried downward at a 45 degree angle as it moves and is bushy with a black tip. Its yellow eyes are a distinguishing feature. Adults weigh an average of 20-40 pounds. The coyote is a highly adaptable and clever animal and can make its home in a variety of habitats, including open spaces, woodlands, agricultural land, suburban parks and golf courses, and large cities. Its ability to use any habitat to its advantage is one reason it is so successful. It is omnivorous, eating mostly rodents, rabbits, birds, deer (typically fawns), fruit, berries, and vegetation. The coyote is described as the most vocal of wild North American mammals, and its scientific name Canis latrans means “barking dog.” The wide assortment of barks, woofs, huffs, whines, yelps, growls, and howls is used for communication, and the iconic group yip-howl song is thought to be part of an elaborate greeting ceremony. Be sure to visit the Enchanted Forest on October 9th and 10th to meet the coyote and even hear a snippet of its song! Written by Michelle Leighty, TWC Environmental Education Specialist
