(Serena Arora/ the Connector)

Serena Arora
Connector Staff

Next November, UMass Lowell is opening a new astronomical observatory on South Campus.

Adam Baacke, the Director of Planning and Development, explained how the team had a difficult time finding a location for the observatory. He described that they went around the campus trying to find a spot that was perfect for the “functional requirements of it, as well as the practical constructibility requirements of it.”

The process of finding a site was difficult but a South Campus site ended up becoming a successful spot. After the location was finalized, designers and constructors were hired to create the building and the observatory was then set to open in November.

There was a possibility that the site for the observatory would be at a rooftop on North Campus prior to picking the South Campus area.

The team was interested in that location because it was an easily accessible spot.

“From an operational perspective it was convenient to the faculty offices and convenient to where many classes that might use it were taught,” said Baacke.

However, the North Campus site was not chosen because it was not fully accessible for people with disabilities as it did not have guard rails or protective barriers. The North Campus garage rooftop would have accessible for people with disabilities; however, the cars driving by would have bounced the telescope and disrupted the focus of the observation, making that potential location unusable too.

Silas Laycock, a Physics professor at UMass Lowell and the primary faculty member overlooking the project, said that for the last two years there has been a research center built for the university. With that center, a strong team was put together to create this observatory.

In addition to the observatory on South Campus, alumni members Richard and Susan Schuller donated an observatory to the university. The observatory was in the woods in Chelmsford and was used by the school for two years. The property was sold after two years; therefore Susan Schuller donated the equipment to the university, which prompted the search of finding a new site for the observatory on campus. The new observatory will have the Schuller telescope.

In addition to UMass Lowell students, other members of the community such as local school groups, youth groups, and Boy Scout groups can utilize the observatory. Laycock has also taken UMass Students and traveled to other schools and even outside the U.S., such as Haiti, and conducted astronomy workshops.

Laycock said that the observatory is “beautiful and in a lovely spot where you can see the stars and the planets and hopefully some galaxies. You can look for it with an eyepiece, it is a very big telescope. . . It will also have cameras so people can see very, very far into space and see cool things. Other features of this observatory are that it is specifically designed to be accessible to wheelchair users. There are very few observatories like that.”

When the observatory first opens, there will be training for members of the Astronomy Club, so they are able to aid others who come into the observatory. Additionally, there will be a public observing night once a month. There will be a talk, and a viewing if the weather permits.

If students would like to get involved, they can contact the Astronomy Club or contact the Physics department. There will also be training sessions for any member of UMass Lowell and the Lowell community. Laycock also said that students who receive training are given a merit badge and a picture on the wall of the observatory.

Once the observatory is open, students and community members are able to learn more about stars and galaxies to their heart’s content.