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Welcome to the Commonwealth Observatory home page! UK has had two observatories so far (see the First Observatories page to learn more) and we are building the third observatory. New! Construction has started on the Rose Street Parking Structure! Mike Cavagnero is placing pictures of the construction in directories, organized by date, on the construction photos page. Here is a picture of our telescope and mounting. We are now advertising for the observatory director. The description of the job is here. To apply for this position, job # SM517360, submit a UK Online Application at http://www.uky.edu/HR/UKjobs/. Click on this link, then select the link "online employment for job seekers". Next click on "search postings" in the upper left corner of the page. Enter "SM517360" in the "requisition number" line. The resulting page should say "observatory manager" on the left. Click on the "view" link, which will take you to the application form. If you have any questions, contact HR/Employment, phone (859) 257-9555 press 2, or email ukjobs@email.uky.edu. Application deadline is August 15, 2007, but may be extended if necessary. The University of Kentucky is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from minorities and women. The application process is entirely electronic.
Why a UK Student Observatory? From the journal of Ralph Waldo Emerson, November 14, 1865 "I saw tonight in the observatory, through Alvan Clark's telescope, the Dumb-Bell nebula in the Fox and Geese Constellation ... I have rarely been so much gratified ... Of all tools, an observatory is the most sublime ... What is so good in a college as an observatory? The sublime attaches to the door and to the first stair as you ascend; - that this is the road to the stars. Every fixture and instrument in the building, every nail and pin, has a direct reference to the Milky Way, the fixed stars, and the nebulae, and we leave ... the Americas and history at the door when we come in." Science and technology for Central Kentucky Youth. The Observatory will include an outreach program for central Kentucky youth. Astronomy presents science and technology in a way that can excite and inspire young people. UK's William Lipscomb, who won the 1976 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, says that his experiences at UK's second observatory during the 1930s sparked his first interest in physics and chemistry. A PDF of his letter is here. A generous donation from the Huffaker Family Fund will support our initial Outreach Efforts. We are seeking additional funding to extend these efforts. A copy of a recent proposal to improve the outreach aspect through collaboration with K-12 teachers is here. An Astronomy laboratory for UK undergraduates. An educational observatory will allow undergraduates to see the moon, planets, and stars for themselves after studying them in classrooms. Roughly a thousand UK students take our Astronomy classes each semester, and a student observatory will allow us to provide a laboratory component as well. For this reason Dean Steven Hoch and the College of Arts & Sciences have provided funds for construction of our new facility. Access to the sky for the Lexington community. Celestial phenomena like comets, supernovae, or meteor showers attract a great deal of media attention. Currently only the The Bluegrass Amateur Astronomy Club run observing sessions for Lexington, but they do not have a permanent site. The Lexington-area public must look elsewhere for a permanently mounted telescope to witness these phenomena. The UK Observatory facility will provide a focal point for community interest in the cosmos, and will enhance science literacy among students of all ages. leaders of The Bluegrass Amateur Astronomy Club have been instrumental in testing the site selected for the Commonwealth Observatory. This will continue in the tradition established by our first two observatories. See the First Observatories page to learn more. A central campus facility. Both of our previous observatories were overrun by campus expansion. Our site, the top of Parking Structure #2 on Rose Street, is in a well developed parts of campus and lies adjacent tot he Cat's path security corridor
Please address comments and suggestions to Gary Ferland at gary@pa.uky.edu
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Copyright 2001-2006 Gary J. Ferland
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