Photo by John S. Giaforte, Blue Sky Observatory
W
ho hasn’t taken the time, at least once in their life, to stop on a crisp, clear night to tilt their head back in awe at the sky? Or listened, amazed, as their second grade teacher spoke of nearby planets that existed in a place that we could not yet wrap our minds around? I think that as human beings we all have an inbred sense of wonder for the things that are bigger than us, and long to find meaning behind the uncharted territory. Luckily, the University hasn’t forgotten about that childhood excitement and skyward gazes, so it’s brought to us the UNH Observatory. The UNH Observatory is a small silo-shaped structure located in the fields off of Spinney Lane, a road off of Mast Lot Extension. Inside of the observatory is a large, 14-inch reflecting telescope hooked up to a computer. A reflecting telescope is one that uses a curved mirror, rather than a lens, to reflect an image back into your eye. Reflecting telescopes are used most commonly in astronomy due to the fact that they allow very large diameter objectives and help to correct the issue of chromatic aberration (a distortion of the image due to the inability of a lens to focus at certain wavelengths). The telescope was donated to the University sometime in the early 80s and uses a computer to help better locate exact positions of objects in the sky. Thanks to the Physics department, several students, and around 18 volunteers, the observatory is open to fellow students and the public for free. They offer public viewing sessions on the first and third Saturday of every month from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. September through March and 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. April through August. They also offer private sessions for groups with a minimum of eight people
and receive visitors from all over the seacoast. Some of the their most common visitors are local schools; families; and Boy Scout, Cub Scout, and Girl Scout groups. The Introduction to Modern Astronomy class at UNH also visits the observatory as a lab and commonly views objects such as Jupiter and its orbiting moons, Venus, and the moon, depending on the time of year. Because the observatory has a moving roof to help allow the telescope to view the sky, it can get very, very cold during the winter month sessions. Make sure that you dress as if it were going to be 10 degrees colder than the forecasted temperature, and wear layers! The observatory also uses red lights to help your eyes adjust to the night sky, so your vision will be much better off if you keep those brightly backlit cell phones in your pocket… or even at home. It’s also a neat idea to bring binoculars on your visit! There is time during each session to spend outside of the observatory with the staff and your group to talk about constellations and bright stars in the sky. Another exciting event that’s brought to us by the observatory team is something called Sidewalk Astronomy. Ian Cohen, the manager of the Observatory, said, “the idea of Sidewalk Astronomy is just to expose the campus to astronomy. Even though we hold free public sessions out at the observatory twice a month, it’s easy for students to never go out there.” So they bring the sky to you! Staff members often set up their telescopes in front of the wildcat statue or the traffic triangle at the intersection of Main Street and Mill Road. The hope is that this will help bring awareness of the observatory and astronomy to campus. “It’s hard to say no when you’re walking down the street and someone with a telescope asks if you want to see Jupiter,” said Cohen.
I’d have to add that it’s hard to not stick around and view something else once you’ve seen Jupiter! Cohen says that the main object viewed during the sidewalk sessions is the moon. Other objects include Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn, depending on the time of year and Earth’s position in orbit. You can often find the Observatory staff set up for these sessions around the first quarter moon, so keep your eyes peeled! The observatory is a fun tool offered to us here on campus, and can often fly under the radar. The department and staff work hard to bring the sky to campus and feed the inner explorer in all of us. For those of you who are interested, Cohen explains that they are always looking for “new, enthusiastic, and reliable volunteers,” especially since the number of sessions they can offer heavily depends on the availability of volunteers. No experience is needed! They are also currently working on bringing a UNH Astronomy Club to campus. The next time you find yourself gazing at the moon, think about attending a public session at the observatory or keeping an eye out for a fellow Sidewalk Astronomer so you can get a closer look! Not only will you be glad that you did, but you will most likely want to come back for more.
Upcoming public observing sessions: • Saturday, April 21, 2012, 9-11p.m. • Saturday, May 5, 2012, 9-11p.m. • Saturday, May 19, 2012, 9-11p.m.
27