RADFORD – Radford University physics and astronomy student and Warrenton native Dustin Lackey is living his dream in RU’s Planetarium. For the past three years, Lackey has presented the planetarium’s twice a week show to a full house of space enthusiasts from both campus and the surrounding communities.

“I have always had a passion for astronomy,” says Lackey. He said growing up he and his family would look for meteor showers and wonder about the stars and space. While at Fauquier High School, he took a formal astronomy class taught by Mark Ott.

“When I took the class, Mr. Ott had us meet on the baseball field at 3 a.m. one morning to observe the planets and constellations. That morning, when I observed Saturn through the telescope, saw the definition between its rings and the planet itself and found the moons around Jupiter, I knew that astronomy was what I needed to study and explore,” says Lackey.

After his formal class, he completed two independent studies with Ott which included tutoring other students in astronomy and observing and researching stars with his school’s telescope. While considering colleges, Lackey discovered that RU has a Planetarium.

While visiting a friend who was an RU student, Lackey (right) searched campus for the facility. RU Physics professor Rhett Herman found him in Currie Hall’s hallway in front of the planetarium’s entrance and invited him in to view the stars on its uniquely seamless solid dome.

“Dr. Herman gave me an overview of how all the projectors work and the shows they present to the public. I was so intrigued. I asked if there was a way I could get a job in the planetarium. I wasn’t even thinking I would actually get paid for it. I just wanted to be involved,” says Lackey.

Herman said that there is a work study position that offers students the opportunity to run the shows for the more than 2,000 visitors to the planetarium during the year. Since Lackey had the educational background in astronomy from his high school studies, Herman said he was a great candidate for the position. Thanks to Herman’s mentoring, Lackey learned the ins and outs of running a planetarium and creating excitement for the extraterrestrial.

During the last three years, Lackey has presented shows about Mars, the legends of space and stars, space explorers and the latest discoveries made by the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope. “May favorite show is the Hubble show,” says Lackey. “The pictures of galaxies millions of light years away are magnificent. They are the most beautiful pictures you’ve ever seen.”

Lackey introduces each of the shows and gives an overview of what the audience will learn during their time in the planetarium. After he runs the half- hour show with the multiple projectors and audio equipment, he answers any questions audience members have about astronomy and the show they just experienced.

“My favorite thing about this job is teaching people what I know about the stars. I get enjoyment out of seeing their excitement,” says Lackey. “I’m not a big public speaker and I do get nervous right before a show,” he admits. “But once I start explaining why the stars twinkle and the sun doesn’t or talk about the planets, it becomes second nature.”

“I love it when I have a Tuesday or Thursday night group full of cub scouts or boy scouts. They ask a lot of questions and get really excited. They have fun learning about what I love. Sometimes one of them comes up to me and says something like, ‘Man, how did you score a job like this. What a cool show!’ I feel good knowing that I do a good job helping people learn about the stars,” says Lackey.

He thinks about what career path he wants to follow after graduating next year with a physics degree and astronomy minor. “I would love to have a career working in a planetarium. Graduate school is also a possibility.“

But whatever he decides to do, it will be in the stars.