Post by Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe on Mar 4, 2005 2:58:31 GMT -6
My two hour Session at the Ryerson Observatory
For some time now, I had been wanting to visit the Ryerson Observatory at the University of Chicago in Hyde Park. I had visited their website from time to time, and been receiving their email notices, and thought that tonight would be the night I venture down and see the beast for myself.
Thursdays are open night for the public, and the President of the Ryerson Astronomical Society had an open invitation for me. I, not being to familiar with the location other than Mandel hall for classic concerts was at a loss in locating the building. I asked one student after another, most with different opinions on where the observatory would be. So I walked around, and around, and around...craining my neck...looking for a dome. I passed the actual building twice and finally asked a smart looking student if this was the building. He stated most assuredly that it was. I approached the entrance, finally my goal was within sight, but all doors are locked at 5:00 p.m and it was now 7:45!!
I waited for some authority figure to come out, and as luck would have it, a young man with keys unlocked the door and I rushed in to ask if this was the place. No one in the building that I approached knew of the observatory...."Doh", but they said I might try the roof.
So I trekked up, one floor, two floors...the stairs kept coming. I found myself entering a turret with tiny stairs in a semi-DNA strand twist. I kept on, not knowing what I might find...someone poked a head out of a door I passed and stated to keep on going....so I did. I came upon a door that lead out to the roof...and there it was - The Ryerson Dome...and in it...a hundred year old telescope!
Out of breath, I paused a moment, allowing my weary legs to regain their manley strength and approached the dome's entrance. I met Dean Armstrong preparing for a nights observation. Doffed in a Indiana Jones Fedora, he welcomed me and I introduced myself.
Here is Astronomer Dean as I proceed to screw up our night vision
He proceeded to show me around the telescope. It is a classic 6.2" refractor with a 10" (?), Newtonian along side it. The scope is a beaut, with brass gears, knobs, levers and this really cool clock drive. In the pier on which it rides, is a manually wound clock drive that is activated by winding it up like a grand fathers clock!
Shown is the cool cranking mechinism for tracking.
Here is the view from the other window into the tracking gears.Too cool! ;D It has two windows to show the mechinisms whrilling around. Every hour or so, it needed to be wound up again. So victorian and high-tech for 19th century tracking.
The dome is operated by sheer man/woman power, in where ones body weight is placed against these vertical wooden posts and one pushes the dome to where one desires. The President of the RAS, Steven Lucy, showed me around the dome and explained the procedures and functions of what this did and that went to.
The first target of the night was Saturn. It was a good image in the eyepiece, but we had to contend with not so good conditions. The image was spotty at best, as it was very clear one moment, but became blurry and wavy the next. Titan and another moon were visible as well. The size of the image was good, and under better conditions would have been great.
We proceeded to target other objects...M42, The Beehive, Sirius and more. On Sirius, I asked if we could try to split it and catch the companion. We didn't have much luck, but the view of the star was incredible! I have never seen Sirius so blue before! When I unfocused the image, the concentric rings were yellow with a greenish/bluish center...quite a pretty sight. On the open clusters, the stars were pinpoints and good contrast. We we using different eyepieces throughout the night. 13mm's, 40mm's etc....I tried to keep a mental note on all of the targets and equipment, but did not do a good job in relating them here.
We then focused on Jupiter. A mighty image of the planet showed us banding, more than just the two we are familiar with. I asked if we could incorporate some filtering, and Steven was very compliant. I tried a violet first, but that was not productive at all. I then used a Lt. red, and that brought out good contrast and more detail, as banding in the northern and southern regions popped out better. Blue did not do much. There were only three moons visible and I enjoyed the views the scope provided of Jupiter, even considering it was not all that much high in the sky.
We discussed various aspects of astronomy and observational sessions we have accomplished, and I always mention our Chicago Astronomer Star Party in Woodstock way back in October...
They do a lot of imaging there, and I was shown some of their work. One which was quite cool, was a time lapse of the Planet Pluto, which was fascinating. Also, they locate sky objects the old fashioned way...by R.A and Dec. coordinates.... 
!! 
After finding the numbers via laptop planetary program, the telescope was moved and nudged manually to the setting circles and lo and behold...the image was in the eyepiece. Quite cool and impressive. No go-to here, just simple honest astronomical practices. I was shown a no longer used tiny eyepiece that magnifies tiny hashmarks on the setting circles that reveal the seconds in sky coordinate tracking. Amazing!
It was time to close up shop and I just watched as the set routine went in motion. The brass cap went on, the dome slit yanked shut by pullyed rope and all put back into it's resting place. The telescope mechanisms were covered and that was that.
I was invited to the astronomical office a floor down and showed an old log book from 1952. In the logbook were entries by Carl Sagan...quite cool!
An entry of tonights observational session was officially logged in and I was offered the opportunity to sign in with a notation. I am honored to have my name included with the astronomical academia of the University of Chicago.
I don't remember all of the finer details on this magnificent telescope, but I hope that the members of the RAS can fill them in here. I have digital pics of the scope, but I seem to be having problems with the transfer...damned things anyway! I'll post them when I overcome this minor setback.
I had a great time with the Ryerson Astronomers, I thank them all for their sharing and company. I hope they let me play with them again real soon.
The url to their website is : astro.uchicago.edu/RAS/
