Physics and Astronomy
Our Telescopes
The 16" Meade Telescope
The telescope is used for public viewing on Friday nights and is used for group visits and research on other nights of the week.
The 12" Meade GPS Telescope
This telescope is also used on Friday nights, and for group visits.
The 8" Celectron C8
The 8" Dobsonian
The 3.2-metre radio telescope
Teaching Activities
Radio Astronomy
The 3.2-metre radio telescope at the observatory is a small dish, suitable for observing the Sun. With radio astronomy we do not see an image, as with an optical telescope, but can map the signal strength in different directions on the sky. The main purpose of the radio telescope is to educate students in the basics of radio astronomy.
Optical Astronomy
Several of our astronomy units have an observing component, where students visit the observatory at night to observe planets, nebulae and clusters. There is some hope that this program will be expanded in future semesters to also include using the CCD camera for imaging.
Research Activities
Monitoring of Eta Carinae
Eta Carinae is classified as a Luminous Blue Variable (LBV) and shows a periodic dip in magnitude every 5.5 years. Students, as part of a voluntary project, monitor the changes in brightness using CCD imaging equipment at the Observatory.
Honours Research Projects
From time to time, one-year honours projects are conducted at the observatory. Optical astronomical equipment used in conjunction with the telescopes includes: CCD cameras for imaging and photometry; and a single-fibre spectroscope for obtaining object spectra.
Observing Status
Public Observing
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Decisions about whether observing are made around 4:30 PM on the day of observing. All bookings should be made before 4 PM, when we last check the messages.
