SUNY New Paltz astronomy professor and director of the John R. Kirk Planetarium will highlight several new discoveries and current research in astronomy and astrophysics. Topics include; asteroids, the new Vera Rubin Observatory, extrasolar planets, supernovae, and more. Weather pending, we may be able to stargaze using a telescope after the presentation!
Raj Pandya earned a B.S. in applied Physics from RPI in 2006 and an M.S. in Astronomy from SDSU in 2008. He became the Director of the John R. Kirk Planetarium and a full time Lecturer in the department of Physics and Astronomy at SUNY New Paltz in fall 2011, and was promoted to Instructor in 2024. He teaches introductory and upper level courses in astronomy and astrophysics, and physics I labs. As Planetarium Director he develops, organizes, promotes, and presents live planetarium shows for the campus community and the regional public. He is also the faculty advisor of the student astronomy club at New Paltz, the “Cosmic Club”. Raj is originally from Westchester, New York and currently lives in New Paltz.