The Hubble Telescope has provided us with high-definition photos since it was launched in 1990. Today anyone with a computer and wifi can access those pictures with ease. However, there is something special about looking through a telescope and seeing some of those sights in person.
Every U student is invited to participate in such an opportunity at weekly Star Parties located on the roof of the South Physics building. Though finding the path to the building’s roof is not easy, the views are worth it. These Star Parties have been taking place “every Wednesday it’s been clear since 1999,” said Matthew Givens, an undergrad majoring in mechanical engineering and minoring in astronomy, who helps with these Star Parties and has since December 2013.
The most recent Star Party took place on Wednesday, Sept. 9. That night three of the observatory’s seven telescopes were in use and focused on specific spacial features, with one changing its focus later in the night. Saturn was the most recognizable of these features with its rings and four moons, but the Ring Nebula, the not-quite binary star system Albireo (think Star Wars and the two suns on Tatooine) and the Hercules Cluster were also viewable.
Givens explained that “the only thing you can see with the naked eye that isn’t our galaxy is the Andromeda Galaxy,” and the only way to see features farther than that or in higher definition is with the use of telescopes, which basically serve as giant eyes capable of capturing greater light than our much smaller ones can. The telescopes used for Star Parties are not advanced enough for professional star study, but certainly serve their purpose allowing lesser academic individuals to glimpse in person what is usually impossible for the human eye to view.
It is also possible to enjoy some astronomy lessons at these parties if you ask the right questions. The Star Parties are coordinated by Tabitha Buehler, but the individuals running the parties on her behalf know their astronomy and have a lot to tell anyone willing to listen. Much of the more complex information may go over your head, but it is also possible to enjoy a more basic star tour of such commonly known constellations and stars as the Big Dipper and Polaris.
As long as the night stays clear, the next Star Party is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 16. Although, according to Givens, the Star Party “starts when the sun goes down and ends when everyone leaves,” the times vary between seasons with the sun setting around 9 p.m. in summer and closer to 6:30 p.m. in the winter.