NASA Week Presented by the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association

Kelly Bernatzky • October 28, 2021

The Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) has joined almost 500 sites across the country to celebrate the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), NASA’s next great space observatory. To celebrate this scientific achievement, the MMA is hosting a NASA Week from November 1-6 and offering a range of public programs including free science kits, events with the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club, a pop-up Science Speaker Series lecture, and Open Nights at Loines Observatory.

 

“We are thrilled that the Maria Mitchell Association is an official host site for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope launch community events,” said Dr. Regina Jorgenson, Director of Astronomy at the MMA. “We have partnered with the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club to help our community celebrate this amazing feat of science and engineering, and we are very excited to host a JWST expert to speak during our pop-up science speaker lecture.”

 

JWST is the largest and most complex space telescope ever built – the premier observatory of the next decade. This international mission, led by NASA in partnership with the European and Canadian space agencies, will launch in December 2021.

 

The observatory will provide a new view of the cosmos and push the field of astronomy into a new era. The telescope will observe the universe in the infrared, peering inside dust clouds to study light from distant parts of the universe for the very first time – the first galaxies that formed about 13.5 billion years ago – and give us insight into how our universe formed. It will also explore distant worlds in other solar systems, as well as objects in our own solar system. The JWST will extend the scientific discoveries of other NASA missions like the Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-ray Observatory, and Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. Please read below for the MMA’s full schedule of NASA Week events.

 

Nantucket Boys & Girls Club Collaboration:

 

On Tuesday, November 2, the MMA is hosting a special event from 1pm-2pm at the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club (NBGC). This program is open to all members of the NGBC and will be led by the MMA Education Coordinator, Camden Palm, and Astronomy Research Fellow, Celia Mulcahey. Participants will learn about the importance of this great space observatory and receive free science kits provided with support from ReMain Nantucket. November 2 is Election Day and there is no school for Nantucket Public Schools on this day.

 

On Thursday, November 4, the MMA is offering a FREE Open Night at Loines Observatory as part of Tween Night at The Club. The program is open to ten participants and sign-up is available through the NGBC.

 

Science Speaker Series Lecture:

 

The MMA is providing a pop-up Science Speaker Series Lecture with Dr. Stephanie LaMassa of the Space Telescope Science Institute on Wednesday, November 3, from 7pm-8pm. Her talk, “Unveiling the Mysteries of the Universe with James Webb Space Telescope” will be FREE for all participants and held via Zoom.

 

When the JWST launches later this year, it will provide an unprecedented view of the cosmos and our place in it. This talk will highlight how observing infrared light will reveal the hidden Universe to us, the challenges in designing and deploying the most complex observatory yet built, and some of the science highlights we expect to learn from the JWST within just its first year of operations.

 

Dr. Stephanie LaMassa is a scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) working on the JWST mission. Dr. LaMassa received her bachelor’s degree in Astronomy and Physics from Boston University. She then worked for several years as a mission planner for the Chandra X-ray Observatory at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics before starting graduate school at The Johns Hopkins University. After receiving her PhD from JHU, she held a postdoctoral research position at Yale University, followed by a fellowship position at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Dr. LaMassa joined STScI in 2017 and currently serves as the manager of the JWST NIRISS instrument branch.

 

Dr. LaMassa studies the growth and evolution of accreting supermassive black hole holes (i.e., active galactic nuclei) and the interplay between black hole fueling and star formation from a multi-wavelength perspective. Dr. LaMassa is also interested in understanding how highly variable active galactic nuclei provide insight into the feeding habits of black holes and their lifetimes.

 

To register for this lecture, please use the link below:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GDrUkdtxT2O5-utDlWqVxg

 

Open Nights:

               

The MMA is hosting two Open Night programs on Thursday, November 4  and Friday, November 5  from 7pm-8:30pm. Visitors to Open Nights will join the MMA’s professional astronomers for an impressive tour of Nantucket’s night sky. The MMA staff will lead constellation tours and guide visitors through different viewing stations outside the observatory domes.

 

Programs take place at 59 Milk Street Extension and are weather permitting. No reservations are required; tickets will be available at the door. Open Nights are $10 for Non-Members and FREE for Members. On Thursday, November 4, this program will be free to all participating members of the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club’s Tween Night with pre-registration (see above). For updates on weather cancellations, please call (774) 325-1081or visit www.mariamitchell.org/open-nights.

 

Everyday Science Kits:

 

On Saturday, November 6, the MMA is handing out NASA Everyday Science Kits during Open Hours at the Natural Science Museum from 10am-1pm. These kits are offered for FREE to all, thanks to the generosity of ReMain Nantucket. The NASA kit explores the life cycle of a star with a bracelet making activity.

 

To learn more about the Webb telescope, visit webb.nasa.gov. For information about other Webb community event locations, visit webb.nasa.gov/content/features/celebrateWebb.html.

 

The Maria Mitchell Association is a private non-profit organization. Founded in 1902, the MMA works to preserve the legacy of Nantucket native astronomer, naturalist, librarian, and educator, Maria Mitchell. The Maria Mitchell Association operates two observatories, a natural science museum, an aquarium, a research center, and preserves the historic birthplace of Maria Mitchell. A wide variety of science and history-related programming is offered throughout the year for people of all ages.

For Immediate Release

October 28, 2021

Contact: Kelly Bernatzky, Development Associate

kbernatzky@mariamitchell.org

Recent Posts

Happy 207th Birthday, Maria Mitchell!

By Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • July 28, 2025
August 1, 2025 marks Maria Mitchell’s 207 th Birthday! Since just about the founding of the Maria Mitchell Association – way back in 1902 – the MMA has hosted some celebration or marked the occasion of our namesake’s birth. From 3-5PM FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, 2025 , Vestal Street will be close to traffic and our Vestal Street properties will be open free to the public. We will have activities, games, art projects, live music with Susan Berman and Ray Saunders, and refreshments will be served. So, stop by and say hello! JNLF P.S. If we actually get rain, we will move our celebration to Saturday, August 2 - so keep your ears out! We will decide Wednesday.

Margaret Harwood

By Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • July 21, 2025
The MMA found its first astronomer in Margaret Harwood, a 1907 Radcliffe graduate who worked in the Harvard Observatory. Her fellowship began in 1912 and over the first year, she researched, continued to conduct public lectures and open nights, and worked with students of all ages – including those in the public schools. She returned to Cambridge for the winter months where she continued to work at the Observatory. In 1915, she took her leave as was authorized by the fellowship and acquired her master’s degree in astronomy at Berkeley. She returned to Nantucket in 1916, accepting the position of Director of the Observatory. This made Harwood the first woman to head a small private observatory in the United States. Harwood continued her research, with a focus on variable asteroids, published results of her work in numerous publications, and continued to lecture and host open nights. She had assistance from others, including island carpenter and school teacher, Alvin E. Paddock. Harwood became a “first –class celestial photographer . . . accumulating a valuable set of Nantucket photographic plates of variable stars . . .” which are still part of the MMA collection and were the first in the world to be completely digitized. Over the course of her tenure, more than 3,600 plates of the night sky were taken – more than 2,100 by Harwood herself. In the 1950s, Harwood was the first woman to gain access to the Mount Wilson Observatory then the world’s leading observatory, where she was able to use the photographic instruments to further her research. Harwood is seen in the photograph here as she looks for Venus during midday in the MMO using the Cooke-Clark telescope, guided by Maria Mitchell’s own Alvan Clark. JNLF

Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association Welcomes Kike Calvo as Featured July Presenter.

July 14, 2025
NANTUCKET, MA— The Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) announces Kike Calvo, award-winning photographer, journalist, and author, as its featured presenter for its July Speaker Series. Calvo’s presentation, "The Power of Creativity: A Journey Through Storytelling, Exploration, and Hope," will take place on Wednesday, July 23 at 7pm at the Nantucket Atheneum’s Great Hall. This event is free. Join the MMA for an engaging evening with award-winning photographer, journalist, and author, Kike (Kee-Keh) Calvo. A Fellow of both the Explorers Club and the Royal Geographical Society, he has traveled to over 120 countries, photographing everything from belugas in the Arctic to traditional dances in Vanuatu. His work has been featured in National Geographic Magazine, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and more. In this engaging presentation, Calvo explores how creativity can be a catalyst for connection, storytelling, and meaningful change. From documenting remote villages to diving with great white sharks, from defying the odds as an author to inspiring thousands of children in the Amazon, Calvo shares the invaluable lessons he has learned along the way. As a National Geographic Certified Educator and Safina Center Fellow (2020-2023), Calvo combines his passion for photography with teaching, having lectured at prestigious institutions such as Yale University. A pioneer in drone photography for art and conservation, he founded the “Little Explorer, Big World” initiative, which brings education to remote communities and has donated over 35,000 bilingual books. Described by anthropologist Wade Davis as, "a fresh voice in visual anthropology," Calvo has a gift for capturing the intersections of human existence. Calvo’s new book, Luminous: A Field Guide for Visual Explorers and Storytellers, isn’t just a book—it’s an invitation to slow down, look deeper, and photograph with soul. It’s a roadmap where photography meets presence, anthropology meets art, and storytelling becomes a path to connection.  Discover how creativity can illuminate pressing global issues—such as plastic pollution—and empower each of us to make a difference. This presentation is free and open to the public, graciously hosted for the MMA by the Nantucket Atheneum in the Great Hall. No registration required. About the Maria Mitchell Association: The Maria Mitchell Association was founded in 1902 to preserve the legacy of Nantucket native astronomer, naturalist, librarian, and educator, Maria Mitchell. After she discovered a comet in 1847, Mitchell’s international fame led to many achievements and awards, including an appointment as the first professor of astronomy at Vassar College. Maria Mitchell believed in “learning by doing” and today that philosophy is reflected in the MMA’s mission statement, programs, research projects, and other activities. The Maria Mitchell Association operates two observatories, a natural science museum, an aquarium, a research center, and preserves the historic birthplace of Maria Mitchell. A wide variety of science and history-related programming is offered throughout the year for people of all ages. ###
Show More