BURNABY: One week to go before SFU unveils its brand new observatory, complete with a powerful telescope.
The new equipment will enable users to see faraway galaxies and stars being born.
Physics prof and brainchild of the project Howard Trottier explains why the telescope is such an important tool.
“Our mirror is 0.7 metres, or 27 inches, in diameter. The mirror at the HR MacMillan Space Centre is only 0.5 metres. So ours is bigger. Another thing about this telescope that is unique is that it has a very wide field of view. Many telescopes that have large mirrors only reveal tiny patches of the sky. We have a unique combination.”
He says the beauty of the telescope is that it can be controlled remotely.
“It’s fully robotically controllable. We’re going to make time on the telescope available to schools throughout the province. We will have bids for project times. We will pick the project that is best and then the students in the school get to run the whole show.”
The new facility is worth $2.7 million, a sum donated by Trottier’s brother and sister-in-law Lorne and Louise Trottier.
The university will be hosting an opening night party next Friday.
The public will also be able to stare into deep space at SFU’s Starry Nights, which are staged once a month.
