On Saturday morning, March 24, members of one of EMU’s newly-formed clubs, the Astral Society, gathered their sack lunches before venturing into the mountains of West Virginia. A two-hour drive led them to the Green Bank Observatory, home to the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT).
The GBT is the largest steerable radio telescope in the world, with a diameter of 100 meters. The students were able to see the structure up close during a guided bus tour that took them inside the National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ), where authorities limit any transmissions that might interfere with equipment. The club members’ stay at the observatory included a video introduction and access to a gift shop and exhibition hall, both of which were full of interactive objects that educate about and promote astronomy.
Several were willing to share their favorite parts of the trip. Sophomore Ben Stutzman, one of the club’s co-presidents with senior Aaron Dunmore, noted how much he appreciated “taking a bus tour into the [NRQZ] and seeing the telescopes up close.” Stutzman commented, “It was cool to watch the largest telescope rotate and learn about how great of an engineering feat it is, from individually moving reflective panels to liquid nitrogen-cooled receivers.”
Senior Amanda Williams discussed the highlights of the trip for her, which included “learning more about how radio telescopes work. Perhaps the most intriguing thing I learned about and am continuing to contemplate is the Drake Equation.” The Drake Equation calculates the number of communicating civilizations within our galaxy.
“I have always been very aware of the possibility of extraterrestrial life, and in fact want to do astrobiology research in the future, so the fact that a lot of the research these scopes are being used for involves searching for other sentient life forms is fascinating,” Williams said.
Sophomore Donaldo Lleshi said, “Interacting with a cool group of people that I’m not normally around with, and, of course, seeing the radio telescope [were the highlights]. That thing was huge.”
EMU’s Astral Society was actually founded in 1939, but fell into dormancy for many years until virtually non-existent. This spring, the club was rebooted by a group of student astronomy enthusiasts. A large number of new “Astralites” have been attracted quickly, for a number of reasons. One appeal is that members have an opportunity to choose a star name to be known by within the club.
“I love space, and I want to learn more about astronomy. I have been a regular visitor to the Science Center to look at the monthly ‘Astronomical Event Sheet’ that is posted in the little alcove dedicated to the old Astral Society,” Williams said. “I also joined in hopes to get a chance to learn how to use my telescope and identify stars and constellations better.”
Lleshi said, “I joined because I don’t know much about the galaxy or stars, but I am really fascinated by all that, and I knew the people who initiated the club were passionate enough about the subject that they would do a good job in planning events that are fun, entertaining, and informative.”
“We wanted to bring back the Astral Society because there was a lot of casual interest in astronomy among EMU students, and great resources like the observatory and planetarium that weren’t being used,” Stutzman said. “It’s a really fun club because it’s accessible to students of all interest levels, whether you’re super into the science of astronomy or you just want to relax and look at the stars with friends.”
