Ambrose Science at the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory

Dr. Stephen Jeans and his students enjoyed exploring telescopes at the RAO’s academic research telescope evening

Photo Credit: M. Rozema

On November 15, Dr. Stephen Jeans was accompanied by his Ambrose astronomy students (and enthusiasts!) to the academic research telescope evening at the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory. Dr. Jeans reports that the students made him proud, asking great questions and being respectful to equipment while having fun at the University of Calgary Research Facility this term. They also welcomed 11 of Dr. Jeans’ students from Mount Royal University to this year’s group. It was a packed bus, all seats taken. Weather was cooperative, pleasant even, a few flakes of snow began falling as they were finishing up. There was plenty of good discussion on the way out and recapping favourite aspects of the experience on our way back (like watching the dome move as the telescope was set-up).

Eric Hess and Theresa Wasch were the UofC Astronomy Interns who assisted with instruction on telescope use, along with Dr. Jeans. Undergraduates explored the purposes of a radio telescope, current retrofitting of the 1.8 metre reflector called the A.R. Cross, the hunting of Near-Earth Objects by the Baker-Nunn Telescope, and hunting of exoplanets around distant suns with the Clark-Milone Telescope. They also enjoyed discussing methods of detecting planetary-sized objects around stars and seeing a replica of the first telescope used for astronomical research by Galileo.

Thank you to Dr. Jeans, Eric Hess, Theresa Wasch, and the RAO, for offering the undergraduate students at both Ambrose and MRU such an enriching opportunity as part of their studies.