Last night, we visited the Maria Mitchell Association Loines Observatory. Dr. Vladimir Strelnitski gave us a tour of the building next door, which held several displays and his office. He explained to our group the history of the MMA and how the summer program works. (Students all over the United States apply for six positions, and then come to Nantucket to study for the summer.) Then, we took a brisk ten-minute walk to the telescopes. Because it was cloudy, we were unable to view the stars. But Dr. Strelnitski showed us pictures of the sights we would have seen on his computer. The Maria Mitchell Association just received a grant to buy a new telescope that is more powerful and allows the students to see deeper into space. Dr. Strelnitski proudly showed it off.

I am not a good astronomy student. When I took Astronomy 104 last semester, I was bored to tears. But Dr. Strelnitski showed so much passion for his work that it was impossible not to be interested in what he was saying. I learned more about astronomy in one night than I did in an entire semester. This shows the importance of a good teacher. When an instructor is on fire for his subject, it transfers to the students. But when the teacher doesn’t care, neither do the students. Dr. Strelnitski is a superb teacher.