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[Centaur]

Harper College in northwest suburban Palatine, Illinois will be conducting a continuing education (non-credit) course in Deep Sky Observing on four Friday evenings from 8 to 10 beginning 2007 FEB 16. The focus will not only be on clusters, nebulae and galaxies but also comets.

Weather permitting, much of the class time will be spent at the college's Henize Observatory. The instructor will be 51-year-old police officer Walter Trentadue who is studying for his Ph.D. in astronomy. His specialty is DSO, and he is the one who has been maintaining and upgrading the observatory's telescopes for many years.

I registered yesterday. To learn more or register yourself, go to: www.harpercollege.edu or phone [phone].

[Centaur]

The class will be based in room Z-128, which is in the science building near parking lots #2 & #3 off of Algonquin Road. Although most of the class time is expected to be spent in the Henize Observatory which is between the pond and parking lot #8 off of Euclid Avenue.

[Centaur]

I checked with the college and only four people out of a limit of sixteen have registered. If a couple more don't sign up, they may cancel the class. It's non-credit, so there will be no tests. The tuition is a bargain at only $59, especially with use of the observatory. And for qualified military veterans like me, that's paid for by the Illinois Veterans Grant program. People over 65 may also qualify for a waiver of tuition. ;D

[Centaur]

I checked again, and still only four have registered. It would be a shame if the class gets cancelled due to a lack of interest in observing deep sky objects through an observatory telescope. That may provide a clue to the college that astronomy is not popular with the public and that such courses should not be offered in the future. By the way, it is not necessary to live in the district to attend the class or pay the normal tuition.