Canicular could not have happened without the expertise and generosity of Derrick Pitts, Chief Astronomer at The Franklin Institute. Some of you may know that this show was originally scheduled for spring of 2013. Thankfully our curator John immediately scheduled a meeting with Derrick at which time he informed him that Sirius was not in the night sky during that time and was best viewed in February. Derrick has remained a daily presence throughout the exhibition. Each day that we are could potentially be open, John checks in with Derrick to see if the skies will, in fact, be clear enough to see Sirius through the telescope. On January 24th the skies were clear and we announced we would be open, but when temperatures plummeted to record lows that evening the retractable roof that protects the telescopes at The Franklin Institute froze shut. Derrick assured John that he had a solution in mind and not to worry. When the feed went live on schedule, John called Derrick to let him know everything was working perfectly and find out how he had resolved the situation. Derrick, it turned out, had set up his own telescope in his artic-like back yard and was streaming the feed from there. Now that’s dedication!
We are pleased to host a rare opportunity to hear Derrick speak in an intimate setting. Join us for An Evening with Derrick Pitts on Thursday, March 20th at 6pm. Tickets are $5 and space is limited so buy your tickets HERE and reserve your seat. See you on Thursday!