Bryant College Students at Seagrave
by Dave Huestis
Many of you know that I teach an Astronomy Lab at Bryant University. This past Spring and Fall semesters I was fortunate to have two labs per semester—one on Tuesday night and one on Wednesday night. To reward the students’ hard work for 14 or 15 weeks I offer a visit to either Ladd Observatory or Seagrave Observatory. The Wednesday night lab students, 22 in total, were invited to Seagrave for an evening of observing on December 5.
All afternoon long the skies continued to clear, and the forecast, even at 5:00 pm, was for clear skies to prevail. Unfortunately, they did not. As I drove down to Seagrave I could see the overcast rolling in from the northwest. By the time I arrived at Seagrave only a few stars were visible. Jupiter soon slid behind the increasing clouds and was lost to view only a few minutes before the students arrived. Though they were disappointed they would not be able to view the heavens through our wonderful telescopes, we still treated them to a grand tour of the facilities.
Tom Thibault wrote up a nice summary of their visit. That summary follows.
I joined Bob Forgiel at Seagrave to assist Dave Huestis with his Bryant students. Dave was planning to have his students see various types of telescopes and get some time behind the eyepiece. The weather forecast had indicated clear skies for Wed., but in true New England fashion, the skies clouded up as we arrived at Seagrave and never cleared.
As the students arrived and gathered in the meeting hall it did become apparent we did not have a group of seasoned New England observers based on their limited outerwear. It was a cold evening and as the group entered the meeting hall all seemed to gravitate around the space heater. Bob noted this would be an ideal opportunity to explain the habitable zone in our solar system.
Dave spoke to the students noting his disappointment in the weather. He remaindered some of assignments due and the importance of completing them. He discussed the history of Frank Seagrave and the Skyscrapers organization. Dave noted the longevity of our organization and the many notable individuals that have visited and addressed our membership over the years. Dave divided those present into three groups prior to leaving the meeting hall for the tour of our facilities.
Dave, as our historian, gave the groups the tour of Alvan Clark and its observatory. Dave’s deep knowledge Frank Seagrave and Skyscrapers truly brings the history to life.
Bob had set up his 8” Meade and was planning a live astrophotography session but had to settle for a discussion and display of previous captured pictures.
My contribution was providing a tour of our 12” and 16” Meade SCT’s and 12” Patton Newtonian. I explained the working of the optical systems which also included the Clark Refractor; we have a great selection of telescopes for this purpose.
Dave’s group of students were a pleasure to spend time with and seemed to enjoy the evening at Seagrave even though we were unable to actually view through our telescopes. It did appear that one of the highlights of the evening was the students trying to figure out if that was in fact their teacher “Dave Huestis” in the photo of the Total Solar Eclipse Expedition to Manitoba, Canada, February, 1979.
I have also added a few comments from my students.
1) We met in the meeting hall at 7:30 where it was warm.
2) It’s a shame that the New England sky is so volatile and changes so fast, from clear to complete coverage with clouds.
3) Before my group ventured to the main dome, one of the assistants gave us a run-down of the various types of instruments that he had added to his Meade telescope mount. On his incredibly sophisticated mount were multiple cameras – one for long-exposure imaging, and another for target tracking aided by computer software. What was very interesting about the setup he had outside in the cold was the sophistication of the software. He noted that a first image is captured with the shutter closed, and the following image with the shutter open is taken to compare the image with complete darkness to the 2nd image of the sky in order to begin tracking targets as.
As a Computer Information System major, I’m very tech savvy so the sophisticated astrophotography software and high-tech scope mount impressed me greatly; however I was completely blown away with the main telescope that was housed in the 100 year old dome. The main telescope’s history interested me- I would’ve loved to be presented with the scope for my 16th birthday. What amazed me was the mechanical engineering built around the scope that used weights to move the telescope at the same rate as the earth’s rotation of its axis. I couldn’t stop staring at all of the exposed moving parts, gears, and weights that made the seemingly-delicate piece of engineering work in synchrony.
4) My personal overall experience was instructive, excluding the fact that we weren’t able to observe the sky. I was able to share a little of time with people who do this activity for a passion and also some cases for a living.
5) I’ve really grown to hate clouds. Every time we try to look at the stars, the clouds ruin it. It doesn’t seem to matter if we are in Smithfield, North Scituate or the Canary Islands. However, not all was lost at Seagrave Memorial Observatory because we got to see some incredible astronomical viewing instruments. Instead of filling the evening with viewings of stars and other space objects, we got a unique insight to the history of Frank Seagrave and how the observatory developed into what we have today.
6) The Clark Refractor is unlike most telescopes you would see around today because of the flyball governor located on the telescope mount. This is because before the days of electricity astronomers had to rely on intricate mechanics, which came in the form of these governors. Governors effectively serve to regulate the speeds of machinery, basically the faster the governor go’s, the more it causes centrifugal force to swing the weights outward, which in turn controls the speed at which the device spins. This system allows for very precise speed control, and although it is considered old school, it is just as efficient as electric powered systems.
7) My time spent at the Seagrave Observatory yielded a highly rewarding and memorable experience. I learned a substantial amount about the location, the organization, the technology, and the cosmos. From the history to the science, the intrigue never left my veins for a second. I felt myself yearning to look through the telescopes for myself, to see what mysteries the cosmos hold for us. I eagerly await the day of my return to the Seagrave Observatory. I cannot wait to peer through a lens crafted by some long-dead engineers of the nineteenth century. I cannot wait to see the same images they saw, the same images that captured the attention of Frank Seagrave as a young man. After this visit, I can easily see myself in his place, spending long hours simply gazing in awe at the heavens above.
