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College buys powerful telescope
Equipment will aid class, enable stargazers
to study sky as interest in cosmology continues to grow
By Jacob Harrison
Senior Collegian Reporter
As stargazers in Hillsdale
College and around the nation enjoy an unusual nightly spectacle-the
five brightest planets in the same sky-Hillsdale College prepares
to receive a new, more powerful telescope.
The telescope will be used next semester,
as astronomy will be offered again with Associate Professor
of Physics Paul Lucas.
Professor of Cosmology Kenneth Hayes said
the college has been using an 8-inch diameter Mead telescopes.
But on June 1, the 20-inch handcrafted Obsession Telescope,
with a modified computer-driven Dobsonian mount, should arrive.
Images through the Obsession are six times brighter than the
Mead scopes.
"It is the largest diameter telescope
I felt we could order that would still be convenient for students
to use," he said. "The larger ones require people
to stand on ladders. But ours will only require a stepstool."
Dan Hawley, who teaches physics, calculus
and astronomy at the Hillsdale Academy, said interest in astronomy
and space observation continues to grow.
"It's amazing how many people are aware
of astronomy these days," he said. "Last August 27,
during the closest approach of Mars, we observed that out here,
and just had a huge response."
Lucas said this is the first astronomy course
since cosmology started being offered at the college.
"In the past our emphasis in the study
of astronomy has focused on stars, or stellar evolution,"
he said. "But we will probably focus a bit more on the
planets next semester. With this new telescope, our options
for viewing will be greater, certainly."
Hayes said he has been impressed with recent
views of the rings around Saturn, and last week observed Venus
as it passed through the Pleiades star cluster.
"Jupiter and Saturn are both beautifully
visible right now," he said. "If you have a telescope,
the rings of Saturn are just gorgeous. We're very close to Jupiter
right now, so it's very bright-a stunning view."
This recent simultaneous appearance of Mercury,
Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter is only another highlight to
a noteworthy month in space-related news.
The controversy at NASA regarding the proposed
abandonment of the low-orbit Hubble Telescope was invigorated
on March 15, when Hubble found the planetoid Sedna, identified
as the most distant object ever found in our solar system.
"Hubble has been the most productive
scientific space mission since the time it was launched,"
Hayes said. "Certainly more productive than the International
Space Station."
In the aftermath of the Columbia shuttle disaster,
NASA is reluctant to risk men for what some consider an unsafe
mission.
The danger with a shuttle mission to Hubble
is that it lies in a different orbit than the International
Space Station, so if the shuttle has a problem, it won't be
able to get to the station.
"If they fly to the Hubble, the space
station is not an option," Hayes said. "They cannot
go to the space station from Hubble if there's trouble. And
there have been two cases where there has been complete failure
of the shuttle system. One of them was on launch, and the other
was on descent."
According to an Associated Press report, advocates
for the preservation of Hubble within NASA are pushing for at
least one more manned service mission to the telescope.
One more servicing could preserve Hubble until
2010, when it will be superseded by the powerful James Webb
Space Telescope, which will "study infrared emissions from
the first objects created in the universe."
Meanwhile on Mars, the American robot explorers
Spirit and Opportunity are poised on their respective craters;
Spirit probing the rim of the Bonneville Crater, and Opportunity
venturing toward the plains of Meridiani Planum.
Both the European Space Agency and NASA are
planning a launch for the next generation of robot explorers
to Mars. Hayes said they are clearly learning from current missions.
"Robotic space explorations are tremendously
less expensive than manned explorations," Hayes said. "While
the rovers are making some wonderful measurements, they are
certainly slow; they don't have very large solar collectors
so they can't do a whole lot of grinding and other such things.
But when they're done, there's no need to bring them back; if
they fail, there's no loss of life."
Hawley said we are living in an exciting age
of cosmology and astrophysics, with results and discoveries
occurring rapidly.
"I've never known anything like it,"
he said. "The rate at which new results are coming in-and
right now there are astounding discoveries being made. It's
a very exciting time."
Meanwhile, many star watchers await the transit
of Venus in June, during which that planet may be observed passing
between the earth and the sun.
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