To help celebrate the successful launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, the Delta College Planetarium in Bay City is offering a student art contest open to students enrolled in grades K-12 in Michigan.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) represents the next quantum leap in space observatories, with six times the light gathering capacity of the Hubble Space Telescope. It is expected to see farther into space than any other observatory in history, with the ability to witness the formation of the first stars and galaxies.
The Webb Telescope began its journey from French Guiana, South America on Christmas Day, making a 30-day trip to an orbiting position one million miles from Earth. To bring awareness to the new telescope and art contest, the Delta College Planetarium will continue offering updates in its Dome360 shows and online. Program details can be found on the planetarium’s website, www.delta.edu/planetarium and Facebook page at www.facebook.com/DeltaPlanetarium.
Four art contest winners will be chosen, one from each group of grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Winners will receive 10 gift passes to public planetarium shows, a poster about the JWST, and a pair of binoculars donated by the Sunset Astronomical Society. Entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on January 31, 2022. Winners will be announced on Friday, February 4, with a presentation of awards at the planetarium on Saturday, February 12.
For a complete description, video introduction, and contest rules, go to www.delta.edu/planetarium/artcontest.html
Questions can be directed to planetarium@delta.edu or 989-667-2260. The Delta College Planetarium is located at 100 Center Avenue in downtown Bay City.