NASHVILLE, Tenn.—The stars are now much closer for Vanderbilt and Tennessee State University students—so close, in fact, that they don’t even have to leave their dorm rooms to study them. A new robotic telescope, made possible with funds from NASA and a partnership between TSU and Vanderbilt’s Dyer Observatory, will celebrate its “first light” at its Dyer Observatory home at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 7.
Students from both universities will be able to access the telescope remotely using the Internet. “First light” refers to the time when a telescope first captures an image from the sky.
“This telescope will give students up close and personal experience with the objects they are learning about in class,” Mike Busby, director of the TSU Center of Excellence for Information Systems, Engineering and Management, said. “We will basically use it as an astronomy laboratory—students will be able to program the telescope to look at the galaxy or other object that they are studying.”
“This new telescope will allow many more students to make specific astronomical observations,” Rick Chappell, executive director of Dyer Observatory and director of Science and Research Communications, said. “The telescope has a camera, so they will be able to capture images of celestial objects and receive them in their dorm room or from wherever they have Internet access.”
The “first light” celebration is invitation-only, but media are welcome to attend. For more information, contact Melanie Moran at 322-2706 or melanie.moran@vanderbilt.edu.
For more Vanderbilt news, visit www.vanderbilt.edu/news.
Media contact: Melanie Moran, (615) 322-NEWS
Melanie.moran@vanderbilt.edu