The Ultraview Effect: The St. Louis Astronomical Society December Meeting
Deana Weibel, Professor of Anthropology, Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan will be discussing the phenomenon known as the "ultraview effect.“ The "ultraview effect" refers to the intense feelings of awe and humility experienced by astronauts who see the vastness of the universe, particularly the Milky Way, from orbit. This is distinct from the "overview effect," which is the cognitive shift from seeing Earth from space. The ultraview effect is considered a response to confronting the unknown, which can be unsettling but also inspiring, driving a desire for exploration and discovery. Comparing spacefarers to religious pilgrims, Weibel suggests that this experience of deep humility is a generative reaction to awe, which inspires exploration and adventure.
Deana Weibel is a cultural anthropologist with over 25 years of experience in ethnographic research and university teaching. Her work focuses primarily on religion, especially the topics of pilgrimage, sacred space, the mutual influence of scientific and religious ideas on each other, and religion and space exploration. Her early fieldwork took place in France at pilgrimage sites (sometimes understood by pilgrims as “energy” sites) like Rocamadour and Montségur. She has also conducted research at the pilgrimage center of Chimayó, New Mexico. More recent work focuses on religion as a motivation for and influence on space travel and outer space-based sciences, with field visits taking place at "space sites" throughout the U.S., including the Johnson and Kennedy Space Centers, the Mojave Air and Spaceport, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the JHU Applied Physics Lab, and Spaceport America. Weibel spent a month in 2019 at the Vatican Observatory, studying "the Pope's Astronomers." She has also studied the history of anthropology, particularly the overlap of her own family’s role and the role of anthropology in the exhibition of Philippine Igorot people in fairs and expositions during the early 1900s. She is the co-founder and co-organizer of Roger That! A Celebration of Space Exploration in Honor of Roger B. Chaffee, a two-day conference that has been an annual Grand Rapids, Michigan event since 2017. She served as chair for GVSU's Anthropology Department from 2012-2018 and as interim chair for GVSU's Interdisciplinary, Religious, and Intercultural Studies Department from 2021-2022.
The St. Louis Astronomical Society is an organization for individuals interested in astronomy and telescopes. The public is invited to attend its meetings, telescope observing sessions, and special events. For more information about Astronomical Society events, please visit www.slasonline.org.
Free parking will be available.