Anyone who has felt inspired to photograph a particularly stunning harvest moon, sun dog or other astronomical event knows that capturing these moments requires skill and good equipment. Earlier this spring, the Division of Mathematics and Natural Sciences celebrated the purchase of a new 11-inch Celestron telescope and Canon DSLR for use in astronomy courses.
The new equipment will allow students to photograph objects in deep space, including those that are barely visible through the scope.
Professor Ray Myers explained, This scope has a database of 10,000 objects, which its computer can track and direct the scope to find for observation and photography. It also has a guide scope system which refines the tracking so that long exposures can be taken, allowing for photography of deep space objects.
Greenville College students have already begun taking sophisticated photos of the universe. This summer, Elle Shaw and Peter Huston worked with Myers to learn how to set up and operate the equipment during the Greenville College Summer Research Experience (GC-SRE). They took a variety of photos with the equipment.
Our project mainly consisted of learning how the new telescope operated and it’s capabilities. We spent a lot of time learning about astrophotography, taking pictures with the telescope and brainstorming how we can best utilize the new telescope in the Planets and Stars course, Shaw said.
Read more about the new telescope.
You can hear Shaw and Huston talk about their project and learn more about the new telescope at Homecoming 2013’s Student Summer Research Symposium.
Via: For the Record: Greenville College’s e-newsletter http://www.greenville.edu/newsletter/student-summer-research-symposium.html
