November 27, 2000

$2 Million Federal Grant Allows WKU Astronomers To Remotely Operate
Astrophysical Observatory

Bowling Green, Ky. - From a dark hill in a remote area of Warren County, astronomers at Western Kentucky University may not be able to see the end of the universe but they can see the beginning of a dream.

That dream is to make Western's Department of Physics and Astronomy recognized nationally and internationally for major contributions to astronomy.

A large part of that dream is a refurbished 24-inch telescope at Western's Astrophysical Observatory. The telescope, which was installed about 20 years ago, has been overhauled and converted to allow remote operation with a long-term goal of robotic operation.

"Twenty years of technological advancements in both computers and astronomical instrumentation allowed us to realize we could do far better than what we'd been doing," said Dr. Michael Carini, assistant professor of astronomy.

Add to that about $2 million in federal funding over two years secured by U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell to refurbish the telescope and Western has a "far more productive instrument," Dr. Carini said. "It now operates in the same fashion that major astronomical research observatories operate."

The telescope is one part of Western's STARBASE program. STARBASE (Students Training for Achievement in Research Based on Analytical Space-Science Experiences), which will include roboticized telescopes at Western's Bell Astrophysical Observatory and at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona.

"Ours is the first and that's very important," said Dr. Charles McGruder, department head.

Plans to refurbish and upgrade the facility began in 1998.

Through its association with the Center for Automated Space Sciences, a NASA-funded consortium of schools, "we were able to hire people who brought the energy and the drive to move forward to become front-line researchers," Dr. McGruder said.

"Seeing the potential is what attracted me here," said Dr. Carini, adding that the facility and research opportunities will attract more high quality faculty and students.

"In the community of astronomers, there is a place for smaller institutions to contribute to the understanding of astronomy."

Using the relationship with NASA and connections with Sen. McConnell, Western has been able to obtain funding for the telescope project. The department and the University are grateful to McConnell "for his vision in supporting this project," Dr. McGruder said. "It would not be possible without his support."

The work recently completed at the WKU observatory allows the telescope to be operated remotely via computer from the Thompson Complex or from an astronomy professor's home. "We also hope in the future to achieve robotic operation," Dr. McGruder said. "That's the long-term goal."

That goal should be accomplished in about year and the telescope facility "will be one of few in the world to operate as a robot," Dr. Carini said.
Western's 24-inch telescope is the largest optical telescope in Kentucky and one of the largest in the southeastern United States.

Another factor that separates Western's facility from other robotic telescopes is that "our telescope will be one of the first robotic imaging telescopes," Dr. McGruder said. "Ours will be one of the first to look at an entire field of stars at the same time rather than individual stars."

The refurbished telescope helps Western meet two goals: teaching and research.

"The fact that students, meaning not only college but high school students, will be involved in research projects carried through with this telescope is an extremely important part of the whole project," Dr. McGruder said.

High school students will be involved by assisting WKU researchers and by completing their own science projects, he said. Students also will be able to obtain data and digital images from the telescope.

The research capabilities possessed by the refurbished telescope will benefit Western faculty and students and the astronomy community in general, Dr. McGruder said.

Western's main long-term research projects include the search for extrasolar planets, those revolving around other stars, and the monitoring of brightness variations in quasars. "We will be looking at the most distant luminous objects in the entire universe," Dr. Carini said.

Among the first digital images obtained via remote operation was a photograph of a nebula several hundred light years away from Earth.

Short-term research projects include the study of gamma ray bursts, supernova and other events. University astronomers also expect to provide data and analysis for astronomers worldwide, Dr. McGruder said.

Dr. Carini said that is one of the aspects that will help Western achieve an international and national reputation. "We expand our research interests, we expand opportunities for students and we expand Western's reputation," he said. "Everybody wins."

For more information, contact Dr. Charles McGruder at (270) 745-4357.