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Dr. Valerie Rapson

Host, Edge of the Universe; Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at SUNY Oneonta

Dr. Valerie Rapson is an Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at SUNY Oneonta. Dr. Rapson teaches a variety of physics and astronomy courses. She also conducts exoplanet research with students utilizing telescopes at the College Camp Observatory.

  • The Fall Equinox
    Dr. Valerie Rapson
    It’s starting to feel like fall! The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting longer, and I started my day with a pumpkin spice latte. But when does Fall officially begin? If you’re using the astronomical definition, it happens on the Fall equinox, which is September 22nd this year.
  • This image taken by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope shows one of a total of 19 galaxies targeted for study by the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby Galaxies (PHANGS) collaboration. Nearby barred spiral galaxy NGC 1433 takes on a completely new look when observed by Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). NGC 1433’s spiral arms are littered with evidence of extremely young stars releasing energy and, in some cases, blowing out the gas and dust of the interstellar medium. Areas that appear dark and dim in optical imaging light up under Webb’s infrared eye. This is due to clumps of dust and gas in the interstellar medium absorbing the light from forming stars and emitting it back out in the infrared. At the center of the galaxy, a tight, bright core featuring a unique double ring structure shines in exquisite detail with Webb’s extreme resolution. In this case, that ‘double ring’ is actually tightly wrapped spiral arms that wind into an oval shape along the galaxy’s bar. NGC 1433 lies over 46 million years away from Earth in the constellation Horologium.
    Detecting Dark Matter
    Dr. Valerie Rapson
    We’ve known for nearly a century that there’s something strange hiding in our universe. Galaxies rotate too quickly. Galaxy clusters have too much gravity. And galaxy formation theories just don’t make sense without some invisible source of mass. We call this mysterious stuff dark matter. We know it must exist because we see its gravitational effects, but we’ve never actually detected a dark matter particle.Now, physicists may have finally caught one.
  • Betelgeuse's Companion
    Dr. Valerie Rapson
    We’ve all looked up at the night sky in search of Orion, the mighty hunter. Three stars in a straight line signify Orion’s belt, with four additional stars making a big rectangle around it completing Orion’s body. The top left star of the rectangle is Betelgeuse, and it represents either the shoulder or armpit of the hunter...
  • The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
    Dr. Valerie Rapson
    NASA will soon be launching another amazing mission- the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
  • A total solar eclipse is seen on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017 above Madras, Oregon.
    Our Next Lunar Eclipse
    Dr. Valerie Rapson
    A few weeks ago, people in Europe, Iceland and Greenland got to see a total solar eclipse. But here in the United States, we only got to see a tiny bit of the sun covered by the moon. That’s ok though, because on Thursday, August 27th, everyone in North and South America will get to see a partial lunar eclipse!
  • Beta Pictoris
    Dr. Valerie Rapson
    Beta Pictoris is a pretty famous star amongst astronomers. It’s a young star visible in the southern hemisphere, and it’s surrounded by a disk of gas and dust that is actively forming planets. It was the first young star to ever have its debris disk photographed at visible wavelengths, way back in 1984.
  • Photo of an annular solar eclipse taken by the solar optical telescope Hinode as the Moon came between it and the Sun.
    Our Next Solar Eclipse
    Dr. Valerie Rapson
    The next total solar eclipse is this Wednesday, August 12, 2026!When the moon passes exactly between and the Sun and Earth, it casts a small shadow back down onto our planet. People standing under the direct shadow get to enjoy a total solar eclipse, while those under the extended shadow only get to see a partial solar eclipse.https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/
  • Our Sun
    Dr. Valerie Rapson
    Our sun. It’s a small, middle aged star generating tons of energy. And right now it’s in a pretty perfect balance. Every day, the sun fuses hydrogen into helium in its core, and releases the same amount of energy at the surface.
  • Hot Jupiters
    Dr. Valerie Rapson
    Astronomers have discovered lots of planets that we call Hot Jupiters. These are gas giant planets outside the solar system that sit extremely close to their star, taking only a few days or weeks to orbit.Read more at- https://www.universetoday.com/articles/jwst-finds-methane-atmosphere-on-temperate-exoplanet
  • An image of Halley's Comet, taken on May 29, 1910
    Comet 3I/ATLAS: Interstellar Visitor
    Dr. Valerie Rapson
    In late 2025, Astronomers watched with amazement as comet 3I/ATLAS flew through our solar system. This was the third interstellar comet ever detected, and every major telescope in the world was watching. Including the James Webb Space Telescope.Read more at: https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/3iatlas/2026/06/01/nasas-webb-detects-methane-on-interstellar-comet-3i-atlas/