Biography
Thomas R. Webber is director of the Heritage Planetarium in Blount County. He has a background in physics and graduated from the University of Tennessee. His academic interest was in cosmology and gravitation. Webber had the honor of working on several different applied physics projects at UT, which provided not just experience, but wonderful friends and memories. Webber has been director of the Heritage Planetarium since it reopened in 1997 and has been writing for the News Sentinel since February 2004 (and loving it!). He is married to the lovely and charming Ms. Barbara since 1989. Hobbies include eating, sleeping, and sitting. When not engaged in those activities, he and his wife are involved with Corvettes (they own four) and also enjoy restoring their home.
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Mars Attacks! (Or, not)
Published 08/25/2010 at 3:27 p.m.
MARYVILLE - The Internet is like a double-edged sword. On the one side, it provides a wealth of information that can be spread and accessed worldwide with just a few mouse clicks. Researching a topic is now easier than it ...
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Perseid meteor shower to peak this evening
Published 08/12/2010 at midnight
Just a little more than a month after man-made Independence Day fireworks, nature is providing us with its own spectacular light show tonight - and a special planetary treat, thrown in to boot.
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UT professor leery of new cosmic claim
Published 07/12/2010 at midnight
Those who enjoy the splendor of a starlight night would certainly agree that the heavens seem dark.
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Professor aids in asteroid discovery
Published 05/04/2010 at midnight
Most people would regard the notion of an asteroid striking the Earth as horrifying and apocalyptic.
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Scientists say shortening of day not significant
Published 03/05/2010 at midnight
Robert Hatcher laughs when he considers all the hoopla being made about the recent announcement that Saturday's earthquake in Chile may have shortened Earth's day by 1.26 milliseconds.
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Locals dismayed by space cuts
Published 02/23/2010 at midnight
When Larry Taylor talks about curtailing space exploration and the end of a dream, he's speaking from the heart.
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Mars rovers exceed exploring expectations
Published 01/30/2010 at midnight
On Tuesday, NASA announced that one of its two Mars rovers, Spirit, can't be freed from a sand pit, after repeated attempts to get the rover unstuck over the past nine months.
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Second full moon of month to fall on New Year's Eve
Published 12/30/2009 at 10:41 p.m.
As Americans celebrate the ringing in of a new year tonight, band leaders will be getting requests for more than just "Auld Lang Syne."
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The end of the world - Not
Published 11/12/2009 at 5:24 p.m. 1 Comment
And so it begins. Already the murmurs and rumors about the end of the world in December of 2012 are surfacing, continually being accelerated and perpetuated by the Internet and other media outlets.
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First U.S. mission to moon in 10 years culminates today
Published 10/09/2009 at midnight
The first American space mission to the moon in 10 years climaxes today with a thud and a six-mile-high debris plume.
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