Joseph Kabbes calls himself an “unconventional academic.” He serves as an instructor and manager at the Fayetteville State University Planetarium and Observatory, a career he pursued following a surprising pivot.
Working as a software developer during the beginning of his career, Kabbes felt something was missing. He sensed a latent desire to delve into the world of astronomy - a field that had fascinated him since his youth. So, he went back to school where graduate work in astronomy eventually landed him in a teaching role and the realization that this was what he loved.
Now he spends his days teaching, grading, managing tours and renovations, and sharing his passion for astronomy with students and adults of all ages.
With 5,000 students visiting the location annually for tours and summer camps, there's always something going on and always something that needs to be updated. Current renovations center on the observatory, which will now bring the whole facility up to date, since planetarium renovations were completed several years ago.
The planetarium and observatory first opened in 1980. At that time, Kabbes says they didn’t have computers and everything in the facility was completely manual. The first major renovations to the facility began with the planetarium in 2018. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the project’s completion, and the planetarium didn’t reopen until 2022. But the work was a success and according to Kabbes, “that renovation allowed us to go from an old, old mechanical star ball to a fully digital projection system.”
Now, their focus has turned to updating the observatory, a task that Kabbes says is necessary because of mechanical and structural failures at the facility. These updates entail replacing the observatory dome and tearing out the entire original telescope and mount.
Funding for these changes came from a variety of sources, and Kabbes says that his business experience with startups from his software engineering days equipped him with a resourceful angle on renovations.
“That’s just kind of the mentality you get into,” he shared, “Other than occasional grants for big ticket things, we really do try to be self-sufficient in our revenues.”
The dome replacement was covered by Title 3 grant funds and previous grant funding had already equipped them with a new telescope. Everything else, he said, is funded by revenue that the planetarium generates. The updated observatory will be computer-controlled, unlike the original manual controls, and will have the capacity for remote operation.
Kabbes said many in the community don’t even realize the planetarium and observatory exist, but when they step inside, reactions range from “wow!” to “that felt like a trip!” especially when viewing the planetarium demonstration. He said this visual display is incredibly high resolution, partly because of a mistake.
When renovating the planetarium, they’d ordered digital projectors that were typical for the 30-foot dome the space featured. But, when the order was fulfilled and delivered, their chosen projectors weren’t available, and they ended up receiving 10, 4k digital projectors; the kind that would typically be used on 60 or 70-foot domes. The result? The high-resolution projectors in the comparatively small dome project exceptionally crisp imagery.
“As best as I can tell, we’ve got more pixels per square inch on our dome than any other planetarium in the world right now,” Kabbes shared, “It just yields a really wonderful sky viewing experience.”
The projection resolution, along with their 6,500-watt sound system, makes the facility especially conducive to engaging tours; tours which Kabbes laughingly explains are, "basically me explaining science with bad jokes.”
Planetarium tour topics for elementary and middle-school students typically include an overview of the solar system with time for questions and discussions. For adults, topics cover a wide range, including black holes, the NASA Artemis Program, exoplanets, dark energies, dark matter, and other “obscure” topics if Kabbes senses there’s interest.
Both the planetarium and the observatory serve as places where young students with an interest in STEM subjects can broaden their understanding of the fields.
“They realize they like STEM, but they don’t realize all the different things that are out there in terms of different engineering fields and science fields,” said Kabbes.
For FSU students, once the observatory reopens, they can attend summer internships and gain first-hand experience in research projects.
“It's a really important tool in helping STEM students stay in college,” Kabbes explained, sharing that freshman and sophomores sometimes lack experience-building opportunities. “There are some things we can do in observational astronomy with the observatory that will allow them to participate in some research programs, and get some experience with that. I'm looking forward to getting that spun up as well.”
Kabbes says he also hopes to launch an astronomy club that will provide members with regular opportunities to experience what the observatory has to offer.
“They'll actually be able to come to the observatory and see it in action, and see the images that come from that. So they’ll be able to get a feel for how that whole process works.”
He’s looking forward to introducing visitors to the improved viewing experience and educational opportunities.
“I try to make space and complex concepts understandable to just about everybody. So, if you want to come learn about space, this is the place to come in the area.”