Francine Jackson Has Spent More Than Fifty Years Showing People the Night Sky
A staff astronomer at Brown University's Ladd Observatory, the Lincoln, Rhode Island educator has taught, written and advocated for dark skies since 1972, and has an asteroid named in her honor.
LINCOLN, R.I. On a clear Tuesday night in Providence, visitors climbing the hill to Brown University's Ladd Observatory have a good chance of meeting Francine Jackson. She has been helping people look through its telescopes for more than half a century.
Ms. Jackson started volunteering at Ladd in 1972, shortly after finishing her astronomy degree at the University of Illinois. She never really left. Today she is a staff astronomer there, guiding guests during public programs and answering their questions about the instruments and exhibits. When her fiftieth year as a volunteer came around in 2022, Ladd marked the milestone with a special honor.
Writing has always been part of her work. For more than two decades she has produced Ladd Skies, the observatory's weekly newsletter. She also edits and writes for Clear Skies Magazine, published by Brown's Physics Department, and she has received awards for her science writing.
Her teaching stretched well beyond Rhode Island. For 20 years she taught night classes at the Hayden Planetarium in New York City, making the long commute from Rhode Island while keeping up her work at Ladd. She has also taught astronomy at colleges in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and she earned a master's degree in adult education from the University of Rhode Island.
Ms. Jackson is a NASA Solar System Ambassador and works with Skyscrapers, Inc., Rhode Island's amateur astronomy society, to plan public events. Her programs have included Starry Starry Night at Chase Farm Park in Lincoln and evenings of stargazing at River Bend Farm in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. She is also a vocal advocate for protecting dark skies, since light pollution makes it harder every year for people to see the stars she loves to share.
She is just as active in her own town. Ms. Jackson has served on the Lincoln Conservation Commission, is secretary of the Blackstone Valley Historical Society and sits on the board of the Blackstone River Watershed Council and Friends of the Blackstone.
Few educators can say a piece of the solar system carries their name. Asteroid 15022 Francinejackson was named in her honor, a fitting tribute for someone who has spent a lifetime pointing other people toward the sky.
Dynamo Times recognizes Francine Jackson for more than five decades of astronomy education, public outreach and service to her community.
About Ladd Observatory, Brown University
Francine Jackson is a staff astronomer at Brown University's Ladd Observatory, where she has volunteered since 1972. She holds a bachelor's degree in astronomy from the University of Illinois and a master's degree in adult education from the University of Rhode Island. A NASA Solar System Ambassador, she writes the weekly Ladd Skies newsletter, and asteroid 15022 Francinejackson is named in her honor.