The Argument
Jackson College is hosting a working University of Michigan astronomer for a full week of public science, and the centerpiece costs nothing: on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, Dr. Teresa Paneque-Carreño delivers the college’s 2026 Shapley Visiting Lecture, “How to Form a Planet: Gas, Dust and a Bit of Luck,” at 6:30 p.m. in the Bert Walker Hall Community Rooms. Jackson College says it is proud to be a 2026 Shapley Visiting Lecture host site. For a county that drives past the campus every day, this is the week to walk in.
The Week’s Schedule, From the College
FACT (Jackson College official event page; verified 2026-10-19): Dr. Teresa Paneque-Carreño, Assistant Professor of Astronomy at the University of Michigan, is Jackson College’s 2026 Shapley Visiting Lecturer during the week of October 19–22, 2026, and will participate in several community and campus events.
FACT (Jackson College official event page): The Shapley Lecture, “How to Form a Planet: Gas, Dust and a Bit of Luck,” takes place Wednesday, October 21 at 6:30 p.m. in Bert Walker Hall Community Rooms 144–145, and is free and open to the public.
FACT (Jackson College official event page): The week also includes a “Discovering the Universe” family astronomy program on Monday, October 19 at 5 p.m. at the Jackson District Library’s Carnegie Branch Auditorium, free and open to the public, and a STEM Banquet titled “How to Be a Scientist When You Are NOT a Genius” on Thursday, October 22, 5:30–7:30 p.m. in the Potter Center dining commons, designed for invited high school and college students interested in STEM careers.
Same Night: The Telescope Comes Out
FACT (Jackson College official events calendar; verified 2026-10-19): Jackson College also lists an Astronomical Observatory Viewing Night on October 21 from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., inviting students, employees, and community members to enjoy an evening of stargazing through the campus telescope.
FACT (Jackson College official event page): Dr. Paneque-Carreño is described by the college as an astronomer, science communicator, author, and UNICEF Chile ambassador.
COMMENTARY: The pairing on October 21 is the story: hear a planet-formation lecture at 6:30, then walk out and look through the college’s telescope at 9. That sequence — explanation, then sky — is how a casual Wednesday becomes the night a Jackson kid decides science is for them. The college built the on-ramp; all it asks is that people show up.
COMMENTARY: Note the week’s design, too. The family program sits at the public library, the lecture is free on campus, and the banquet speaks directly to students who think scientists are geniuses and they are not. Three different doors into the same subject, in four days, in one county. That is what a community college is for.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the main lecture, and what does it cost?
Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. in Bert Walker Hall Community Rooms 144–145 at Jackson College. “How to Form a Planet: Gas, Dust and a Bit of Luck” is free and open to the public, per the college.
Who is the speaker?
Dr. Teresa Paneque-Carreño, Assistant Professor of Astronomy at the University of Michigan, visiting Jackson College as its 2026 Shapley Visiting Lecturer for the week of October 19–22.
What else happens this week?
A free family astronomy program at the Jackson District Library Carnegie Branch Auditorium on Monday, October 19 at 5 p.m.; an observatory viewing night on campus October 21, 9–11 p.m.; and an October 22 STEM Banquet for invited high school and college students.
Can community members use the telescope night?
Yes — the college’s calendar explicitly invites students, employees, and community members to the October 21 Astronomical Observatory Viewing Night, 9–11 p.m.
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