My name is Jaigan Allport, and I'm a planetary scientist. Where astronomers focus on stars and galaxies, I focus on studying planets, moons, asteroids, and comets. I have always loved learning about the planet we call home, but my interest in science first skyrocketed when I visited the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago when I was in 5th grade. The way that museum presented science in a fun, exciting, and intriguing way is what truly sparked my love for learning. That experience opened my eyes to the realization that there is always something new to discover and learn. As a result, I have been drawn to both science and museums ever since.
More specifically, I have always gravitated towards the astronomy and space-related branches of science. After I graduated from high school as the Valedictorian of my class, I attended Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. In May 2024, I received my Bachelor's degree in Earth, Atmospheric & Planetary Sciences, with a concentration in Planetary Sciences. Now, I have the incredible honor of being the new Director of Science Experiences for the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science. My goal now is to operate the Koch Immersive Theater & Planetarium, providing high-quality and educational planetarium shows to all our wonderful museum guests. I hope to inspire others to learn about our place in the cosmos, just as others have inspired me.
I am constantly inspired and driven by the sheer scale and complexity of our universe. Deep facts about outer space and our natural world push me to keep looking at the Universe in new ways. One of these is that almost every single point of light in the night sky is a star with its own unique set of planets and moons. Those that aren't stars are extremely distant galaxies each with hundreds of billions of stars, and each of those have their own planets and moons, too. Out of everything in space, what excites me most of all are exoplanets -- planets that orbit stars other than our Sun. Many of these worlds are unlike anything in our Solar System. For example, only 64.5 light-years away, there is an entire planet (HD 189733 b) that rains molten glass... sideways, and it's even larger than Jupiter! It truly changes your view of reality when you treat other planets not as distant 'objects', but rather far-away places that could theoretically be visited and explored.
It's so easy to get wrapped up in the small things in life, but I find peace in the fact that there is so much more beyond Earth.
Thanks for reading!
