Radford Planetarium Show: The Dark Matter Mystery
By: John Ratliff II
Dark Matter is a scientific discovery to cosmetology and astronomy, first thought of when early astronomers questioned what made up the gaps in-between galaxies. With improvements to technology over the years, astronomers have been able to look closer into the galaxy and observe how quickly galaxies were moving.
Around 1970, an American woman astronomer, Vera Rubin, saw this same phenomenon and determined that there must be some form of matter that holds the stars and galaxies to each other, similarly to the way planets revolve around the sun due to gravity. In the simplest form, dark matter can be defined as the invisible glue that holds galaxies together deep in space, that move so quickly. While it cannot be seen, it has mass and takes up space, therefore it is a form of matter.
On January 24, 2025, Radford University hosted a showing of The Dark Matter Mystery, along with other dates on the same week, in the planetarium in Curie Hall. The planetarium hosts informational space related shows weekly from Thursdays to Sundays, that are free to attend for all Radford students and staff. Like any planetarium show, you enter a dome and find your reclined seat to look up at a convex ceiling, which is projecting space.
Around 7pm we were introduced to the show by an enthusiastic narrator, providing friendly small talk, and giving the audience an easy understanding and definition of what dark matter is. The space projection then changed to a roughly 40 minute film exploring the history and future of dark matter and its mystery. While we have discovered that there is something out there all around us, that we are calling dark matter, scientists don’t truly understand what exactly it is. With modern engineering, scientists have built large laboratories and machines underground and inside mountains.
The LUX-ZEPLIN experiment in South Dakota for example, is designed to detect weakly interacting massive particles (W.I.M.P. for short) using a Xenon Detector. Hopefully in the future, with more significant technological advances, we can discover more qualities of dark matter and provide a definite meaning to its existence.
After the showing, I had a chance to speak with the narrator and host, Gage Griffith, a Physics major focusing in Astrophysics. I had spoken with him about his understanding of dark matter, space, and his role of hosting the shows. He had explained to me that his knowledge of dark matter was limited and how it goes into a more complicated branch of science known as Cosmology. When asked about his role as a host for the planetarium, he had mentioned it was his 4th semester and from his tone, he seemed very passionate about the subject of presenting space. Griffith showed how he had learned to understand his audience, stating,
“Depending on the subject, I’ll try to find a way of how I can tie certain spots in our solar system…” In other shows that are more relevant to the solar system, he is able to present on the dome above closeups and images of different planets, preferably Mars, and provide an entertaining and informative show for all to see.
