Earlier this week, I wrote about an auction to benefit the Stellafane telescope-making convention, held each year in Springfield, Vermont. Last month, Springfield hosted another noteworthy gathering: The Simpsons movie premiere. The July 22 extravaganza featured celebrities, costumed characters, and a yellow carpet matching the family's skin tone. Vermont's Springfield beat 13 other namesake cities in an online vote to host the premiere. The city of 9,300 residents received 15,367 votes, beating Springfield, Illinois, by fewer than 800 votes.
It isn't a far reach to relate The Simpsons with Stellafane. Matt Groening's creation often revealed an appreciation of astronomy, albeit not always an exact interpretation.
In an episode that originally aired in 1995, Bart Simpson serendipitously discovered a comet on a collision course with Springfield. This is the episode in which Principal Skinner famously said, "Ah, there's nothing more exciting than science. You get all the fun of sitting still, being quiet, writing down numbers, paying attention. Science has it all!" Fortunately for Springfield, the comet broke apart, with the largest remaining piece measuring the same size as a Chihuahua's head.
Physicist Stephen Hawking appeared on The Simpsons in 1999. After comforting Lisa, Hawking discussed the idea of a doughnut-shaped universe with Homer. Hawking also appeared in the 2005 episode "Don't Fear the Roofer."
Eric Idle provided the voice of Declan Desmond in "Scuse Me While I Miss the Sky" in 2003. In this episode, Lisa becomes interested in astronomy and battles light pollution which in an effort to save the night sky. Her efforts compel Mayor Quimby to shut off the city lights. While the darkness reveals formerly obscured deep-sky objects, lawlessness and riots ensue. A funny result for television, but the International Dark-Sky Association is quick to remind that bright artificial lights successfully curbing crime is mostly a psychological relationship unsupported by police statistics.
The Simpsons still provides the most insightful social commentary on television, but if you are looking for the same accuracy in astronomy, you'd better stick with Vermont's Springfield.