Jackson College hosts a free “How to Form a Planet” talk by U-M astronomer Teresa Paneque-Carreño Oct. 21, with telescope viewing after

JACKSON, Mich. — Jackson College is inviting the public to a free evening lecture on how planets are born, given Wednesday, Oct. 21, by University of Michigan astronomer Teresa Paneque-Carreño, followed by a chance to look through the college’s telescopes if the skies cooperate.

“How to Form a Planet: Gas, Dust and a Bit of Luck” starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Bert Walker Hall Community Rooms, BW 144-145, at Jackson College, according to Jackson College. The talk is free and open to all, with a question-and-answer session and light refreshments. Weather permitting, Paneque-Carreño will then join visitors at the Jackson College Astronomical Observatory for free public viewing.

The talk. Paneque-Carreño plans to trace how planets come together, starting with the earliest stages of star formation, and to explain why some worlds end up rocky and others made of gas, and whether another planet like Earth could exist. She will also cover how astronomers study processes that take millions of years, the college says.

The speaker. Paneque-Carreño is an assistant professor in U-M’s Department of Astronomy, a science communicator and a UNICEF Chile ambassador. She has written five astronomy books for young people, including “Astronomical ABC,” and has more than 1 million social media followers, MLive reported.

The series. The lecture is the centerpiece of “Cosmic Conversation: From Jackson to the Universe,” a week of programs Oct. 19-22 after the American Astronomical Society chose Jackson College as a 2026 site for its Shapley Visiting Lecturers program. “Folks who attend these events are going to have a great time and learn so much from her,” said Steven Tuckey, the college’s George and Barbara Raven Endowed Chair for Mathematics. A family program at the Jackson District Library’s Carnegie branch took place Monday. The week ends Thursday with a STEM banquet at the Potter Center’s Robert Snyder Dining Commons, by invitation for area high school science teachers, their nominated students and Jackson College STEM students.

More this week. For Halloween weekend plans, see things to do in Jackson Oct. 23–25.

Sources:
Jackson College, “U-M astronomer brings the universe closer to home,” Sept. 24, 2026, https://www.jccmi.edu/cosmic-conversation-from-jackson-to-the-universe/
Jackson College, “Cosmic Conversation from JC to the Universe” event listing, https://www.jccmi.edu/event/cosmic-conversations-2/
MLive, “University of Michigan astronomer leading week of public events at Jackson College,” Oct. 20, 2026, https://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/2026/10/university-of-michigan-astronomer-leading-week-of-public-events-at-jackson-college.html
Photo: Dwight Burdette, “Jackson Community College George L. Potter Center.JPG,” June 16, 2010, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0, cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jackson_Community_College_George_L._Potter_Center.JPG

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