Next time you visit the Grand Canyon, you might just run into the astronomer in residence, Logan Pearce. The Grand Canyon Conservancy created the program as a way to educate the public about the importance of preserving dark skies. “Dark skies advocacy is a big part of the Grand Canyon Conservancy’s mission. Trying to get the word out on why dark skies are a natural resource and activities that local folks can get involved in in their hometowns to try to advocate for dark skies preservation,” she says. Logan is a research scientist and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Michigan. She’s been interested in astronomy since she was a child. She grew up reading books about science and watching science fiction TV shows. “I’ve been reading astronomy books for my entire life,” she says. “My earliest memories are reading books about space and watching science fiction TV shows, and it’s just always really captivated me, and it’s just been a huge part of who I am.”
A colleague of hers had participated in the Grand Canyon National Park’s Astronomer in Residence program, and Logan submitted a proposal. The proposal included Logan giving public outreach talks about topics in astronomy. “I study planets around other stars, which are called exoplanets,” she says. “My particular specialty is trying to take direct images of the planets.” Returning to Arizona will be a homecoming for Logan. She earned her Ph.D. at the University of Arizona in Tucson. She also has an affinity for national parks. “I really love national parks in general. I have a hobby of trying to visit as many as I can,” she says. She said she’s been to about 43 of them across the country.
“I love the Grand Canyon when I visited, and the idea of ultimately spending 10 weeks in this amazing place talking to the public who have chosen to travel to this amazing place that is a dark sky location, where they can interact with the sky in a way that maybe they never have before,” she says. She’s excited to educate others about the night’s sky. “I really love talking to the public about astronomy and trying to help the public feel engaged with the science that we’re doing,” she says. Specifically, she’ll be addressing the following questions: What about Pluto and what about aliens? She’ll also be talking about dark skies as a natural resource. Her astronomer in residence position is a dream job. “It’s like a marriage of my loves of talking to the public about astronomy and national parks,” she says. “It’s kind of perfect.” The Grand Canyon Conservancy puts on the Grand Canyon Astronomer in Residence program. Learn more about it at grandcanyon.org. – By Teresa K. Traverse
