Hood welcomes local stargazers

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Hood welcomes local stargazers

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The stars, planets and other celestial bodies can be seen up close from 8:30-9:30 p.m. Wednesday evenings through April 30 through the Hood College Williams Observatory telescopes, 401 Rosemont Ave., Frederick.

Community members will be able to use the stationary and portable telescopes in Hood’s observatory to view the night sky, and Ken Howard, lecturer in astronomy at Hood, will be available to answer questions.

The Williams Observatory, named in honor of John H. Williams, a prominent Frederick banker, opened its doors to students in January 1925. The building was renovated in 1985 and today is used as a laboratory and classroom.

The observatory, one of the few available for the study of astronomy in Western Maryland, features an eight-inch refractor telescope built by Alvan Clark and Sons, an observation deck, classrooms and a library.

The lens of the telescope was originally made for Harvard College Observatory in the 1870s and was used for some of the earliest photographic studies of the night sky.

The telescope’s objective lens is still in excellent condition and, having been designed for visual rather than photographic use, is actually better for elementary astronomy than some modern refractors.

For more information about the Williams Observatory extended hours, contact Kevin Bennett, associate professor of chemistry and chair of the department of chemistry and physics, at 301-696-3682, or by e-mail at bennett@hood.edu.