MIDSOUTH STAR GAZE & ASTRONOMY CONFERENCE!

Rainwater Observatory is gearing up for its annual Mid-South Stargaze and Astronomy Conference coming up March 31-April 3, 2027! This event attracts amateur and professional astronomers from around the country. It is held under one of the darkest skies in the southeastern United States and just off the beautiful Natchez Trace Parkway near the village of French Camp, Mississippi.

More details to come!

FREE MONTHLY PUBLIC PROGRAM!

Rainwater Observatory in French Camp Mississippi will be offering a free 4-County Electric Foundation “Exploring the Heavens” public program series! This month’s presentation is a new updated program called, "COMETS: Icy Visitors from Space!”, presented on Friday, May 8, 2026, starting at 7:00 p.m. by Edwin Faughn, director of Rainwater Observatory.

Comets are some of the most spectacular and mysterious objects known in our solar system! They hurtle inbound towards the Sun each year, heat up and sometimes develop long beautiful tails blown back by the solar winds! Some have even hit the Earth and other solar system bodies in the past with devastating effects! In this program we will examine the mythology, history, and science of comets and how they have helped shape our solar system. After the presentation, weather permitting, an observing session will be held using some of Rainwater’s powerful telescopes.

Edwin has presented hundreds of programs to diverse audiences including universities, museums, schools, aviation firms, conferences, churches, civic groups, senior and youth groups, scouts and various other organizations such as Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, Federal Express World Headquarters, Pink Palace Family Of Museums (75th Anniversary Celebration), Sharpe Planetarium, Arkansas State University (Distinguished Alumni Speaker), Mississippi State University, University Of Mississippi (conference keynote speaker), Arkansas State University (keynote speaker for NASA's STEAM Initiative (STEM with Art + Design) and Crew Training International (CTI is one of the leading providers of Cockpit/Crew Resource Management training for the world's military aviators). His original work has also been featured in and on the covers of international space science magazines, books, exhibitions and planetarium productions such as Scientific American, Federal Express World Headquarters, the world premiere of Titanic: The Exhibition, KEPLER website of NASA's Ames Research Center, Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas and can be seen at www.edwinfaughn.com .

Rainwater Observatory and Planetarium is located one mile east of the Natchez Trace Parkway off MS Highway 413 near the village of French Camp in Mississippi. Come early and enjoy dinner at the Council House, another support ministry of French Camp Academy.

For more information, contact Edwin Faughn at Rainwater Observatory: 662-547-7283 or info@rainwaterobservatory.org.

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