By Andrew Danielson
The end of a busy day at Purdue University Fort Wayne usually sees a varying scene of homeward bound students, professors, and staff members.
An endless row of cars pours out of the exits of the campus. Buildings that resonated with the hum of scholars’ voices gradually fall silent as the twinkle of lights shine out in the gathering dusk. Night has wrapped the campus in a dark, comforting blanket as the day’s academic life comes to an end.
Or does it?
For at least some students and one professor on campus, dusk is the herald of a night’s work to begin, because it’s only at night that an earth-based telescope can begin traversing the heavens in its constant quest for knowledge. And PFW’s department of physics will soon begin their voyage of astronomical discovery with the “UFO Observatory.”
Many people would assume that “UFO” stands for “unidentified flying object.” But for PFW’s astronomers and astrophysicists, UFO actually means something closer to home – the “Undergraduate Fun Observatory.”
The story of the UFO observatory actually began almost a decade ago. In 2016, then-professor of physics Stephen Gillam had helped spearhead a project to create and deploy an observatory on the IPFW campus, according to a report from WANE15.
WANE15 reported that the total project came at a price tag of $27,000, but what the observatory had to offer was well worth the price.
The observatory consists of a large white dome that can slide open, revealing the 8-inch reflector telescope inside. Telescopes include a variety of designs and types, including reflector and refractor ones.
According to NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, reflector telescopes use mirrors to help gather and focus star light that an astronomer can then see. This is a different process of light gathering versus a refractor telescope, which utilizes lenses, not mirrors, to gather and focus light.
PFW’s telescope is not large, but it provides students, staff, and the Fort Wayne public with a great opportunity to survey the cosmos.
Professor Eugenio Ursino, assistant professor of physics at PFW, explained that PFW’s observatory really serves two purposes: one for students, and one for the greater Fort Wayne community.
“It just makes sense that they learn how to use a telescope,” Ursino said about PFW physics students using the observatory. He explained that physics students who want to pursue their masters’ degrees in astronomy will be expected to know how to use a telescope.
Such knowledge could include something as simple as knowing where to point the telescope to see something in the cosmos or something as advanced as using a computer program to electronically control and “steer” a telescope.
But Ursino’s goals with the PFW observatory go beyond the classroom, as the telescope provides an integral part of the “Friday Night at the Observatory” program held on the PFW campus.
According to the PFW Department of Physics’ webpage, the third Friday of every month during the academic year sees the department of physics offer a program called “Friday Night at the Observatory.” During these events, which are open to anyone from the public, professors at PFW provide a lecture on a selected topic. Following the lecture, assuming the weather is amenable, attendees to the lecture are welcome to spend some time stargazing at the UFO Observatory.
At least, that was the idea.
Ursino mentioned that the original location of the UFO Observatory was not ideal for stargazing, for a couple of reasons. For one thing, the observatory was located outdoors across St. Joe Road, behind the PFW Surplus Center store on the eastern side of campus. That location, next to a parking lot in a grassy field, was susceptible to mud, making a trek to the observatory an uncomfortable and wet experience for stargazing lovers.
Yet another issue was that of temperature. Since the observatory is an outdoor affair, using the telescope during the colder months of the year was not the most pleasant experience.
But those issues are set to become problems of the past.
Just this year, the observatory has moved to a new location on top of Parking Garage 3. That’s a major improvement, because it means visitors to the observatory can now simply park their cars in the garage and walk on solid, non-muddy concrete to the telescope.
But wait, there’s more.
One of the features of the observatory since its inception has been the ability of users to control the telescope via a computer. Ursino described how the idea was that users could remotely control the movements of the telescope and observe galactic phenomena without needing to be physically present. Unfortunately, over time, the various pieces of equipment broke down or needed replacing.
Thankfully, a new computer has been added to the observatory’s technical arsenal, and Ursino is working towards making the observatory remotely controllable. This is a big achievement for the Friday Night at the Observatory program, because it means attendees to the program get a chance to stargaze from the comforts of the indoor lecture hall.
Professor Ursino mentioned that there are several other future astronomy projects and updates in the works for the UFO observatory and the department. Work is still being completed on making sure all the electronics and power systems are operational for the observatory.
For Ursino, the goal of the observatory for PFW’s students is simple:
“Student[s] engaged in simple research,” he said when asked about the impact of the observatory.
That simple research is just the tip of the iceberg for the UFO observatory, as it helps students and Fort Wayne reach for the stars and beyond.