The N.G.C. Telescope Instrumentation Improvement Project

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9351550 Jones The College has acquired new astronomical instrumentation for the school's Boller & Chivens 16" research grade cassegrain telescope to be used by the undergraduate students for instruction and research. A Star I CCD (Charge Coupled Device) from Photometrics along with an IBM-XT controlling computer and software, a wide-band filter set (UBVRI) and filter wheel for stellar photometry, and a spectrograph for astronomical spectroscopy are being used. An upper division project oriented observational astronomy course is being implemented using this equipment and an existing SUN workstation network with the IRAF data reduction package. A partial objective of the observational course is to supply observational data for integration into the introductory astronomy labs. The introductory astronomy students have the opportunity to see how these observations are obtained at the telescope, enhancing the educational value of the labs which use the locally obtained data. The general public also has the chance to see modern observing techniques demonstrated on public viewing nights. Finally, the equipment is being used in student research, and there is the possibility of joint projects with other schools with similar facilities. ***