The Golden Pond Planetarium and Observatory is a NASA Educator Resource Center. Located in the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in western Kentucky and Tennessee near Murray, Kentucky, this place offers planetarium programs presented with a state-of-the-art digital projection system under a 40-foot dome theater. The adjoining observatory has a computerized 16-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope to view the night sky, and a solar telescope for safe viewing of the sun. The observatory is open select Saturdays throughout the year (see schedule on website). Star parties are held Memorial through Labor Day weekends and are free to visitors.
Deborah Byrd
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About the Author:
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.