Bryant Astronomy Lab Students Visit Seagrave Memorial Observatory
by Dave Huestis
I try to award my astronomy lab students with field trips to Seagrave and Ladd observatories at the conclusion of the semester. Many times in the past those scheduled nights have been cloudy. I, and my students, really lucked out this year because the Tuesday lab students were treated to clear skies at Ladd on April 30, while the Wednesday lab students were greeted with clear skies at Seagrave on May 1. It’s been quite a few years that both of these nights have been clear.
Here’s a brief report on their experience.
Tom Thibault opened up the 12-inch Meade. Bob Forgiel brought his telescope/camera/computer set-up to show how he images the heavens. I opened the Clark dome provided some great views through the exquisite Clark refractor.
When the students first arrived they had to take their final quiz of the semester. After that grueling experience Alex Bergemann and I escorted them up to the dome. They were totally blown away by the Clark, especially upon learning that it was built in 1878. The flyball governor and the weight drive system also fascinated many of them. They got some good looks at Jupiter through the trees and also were treated to some great views of Saturn. I provided the general history of Frank Seagrave, the Clark refractor, the dome, and of course Skyscrapers
Next they visited Tom at the 12-inch. He provided them with some views of galaxies in Leo, and a view of M3, a globular cluster. They even observed two or three meteors while waiting to look through the scope.
Finally, they met with Bob who proceeded to explain how he captures images with his imaging system. They understood this concept to some degree, as they image galaxies throughout the semester using Project Slooh and compare successive images looking for supernova. They were most impressed with images that Bob had acquired.
Here’s some reflections (or should that be refractions) from two of my students:
Briana: “Bob, Tom, and Alex were very knowledgeable and explained a lot regarding the telescopes and what they were capable of. I was surprised at Alex’s knowledge about setting up such a large and complex-looking telescope and being able to identify all sorts of things on his own, considering that he is so young. One of my favorite things to take a look at was the camera that Bob had used with the telescope. I did not realize that you could capture images like that on your own; I had always assumed that space-related pictures had come from NASA or large telescopes such as the domes used by Project SLOOH.
I was most surprised by the quality and capabilities of the telescopes. I used to have a telescope as a kid, but I never saw any views like the ones we captured on Wednesday night. I had never seen Saturn through a telescope before, so that was one of my favorite things that we were able to see. The view of Jupiter was quite nice also, especially because I did not get the best view at Bryant when we had gone out before.
I was really intrigued by the age and quality of the telescopes. I expected that telescopes that had been around for a while would have some wear and tear to them and it would be harder to see images. I was pleasantly surprised when I realized that this was not the case…
The most fulfilling thing about this trip is that I now know that I can recognize certain things in the sky. I often had a hard time identifying things such as constellations and planets. I felt satisfied being able to recognize Jupiter and see a few constellations on my own. It felt satisfying to be able to apply all that we learned in class about these things into the real world, and finally be able to view things in person rather than on a computer screen.”
Taylor: “Before showing up to the observatory I was expecting to be impressed by the telescopes and what we might see. When I arrived and was able to see the scopes, and then objects in the sky, my expectations were blown away. The Alvan Clark telescope was amazing and is over 100 years old. My first impression of the Clark telescope was that it was more a piece of art than a functional telescope. That was until I saw the flyball governor and gears spin, I quickly realized this telescope was the real deal, and just as efficient and effective as the newer telescopes today…
From the Clark telescope we were able to see Jupiter and four of its moons. But the real treat was seeing Saturn and its rings, which really made my night. Words can’t properly do justice to the experience that was. Seeing an object that far away in so much detail that I’ve only seen in photos was an experience not many people get to see. We were also able to see the other telescopes that Seagrave has to view the sky. It was at the newer Meade telescopes where were able to see some of the Messier Galaxies. Seeing these objects through the telescopes looked like “salt on a black table.” This is where we were able to see the newer technology in action. After punching in a few different coordinates the telescope positioned itself to be able to view the galaxy, which I thought was really cool.
The other scope which I thought was a close second to the Alvan one was the one that was being used to take photos. Although this seems like more of an investment than a hobby it is one which interested me the most. I think the layering of photos on top of each other to get the best possible photo was amazing and really makes me want to do this one day. I felt this is one way to convey to others that there is more up there than just little dots in the sky, especially for those who have never looked through a telescope before. To be honest I found this the best part of the trip and one day I can honestly say I hope to be able to do the same. This trip really put the whole semester into perspective about what we learned and was an extremely valuable experience. This course and this outing really peaked my interest in astronomy, which I never thought I’d say. “
