I started as an astronomer at MIT
when I was an undergraduate and
I really loved the opportunity
to observe. To get out under the
night sky and get behind a
telescope and just see what is
out there in the universe that I
could look at. And I figured
other people would like this
opportunity as well. When I came
back to MIT in 2009 I started
the Observe@MIT project so that
people could just come and
observe on campus.
There's a lot of light pollution
in Cambridge but having that
easy access I think is more
important than going to a dark
site, although we do have a dark
site and we sometimes have tours
of Wallace Observatory in
Westford, Massachusetts as well.
To me, the first time I looked
through a telescope it had such
a big affect on my life that I'm
so delighted that there's this
forum, or this setting, at MIT
where people can just come on in
and spend two minutes looking
through a telescope and seeing
this thing that in many cases
could have a very big impact on
their life. It's just a fantastic
experience to be up there away
from all the pressures and
demands of the MIT schedule and
I think just looking out at the
sky and the buildings around you
and the clouds moving around
and the change of the terrific
wind up on that roof compared to
ground level; oh that is
fascinating. And I notice in the
dark my students are kind of
wondering around getting to know
each other in a different way
than in class time and chatting
with Amanda's assistance or
Amanda. . . "The sun is overhead
and your shadows are very small,
so that is what is happening on
the moon too. Different times of
day on the moon. . ."
It's definitely a discussion,
it's a two-way kind of thing.
People come and I'll tell them
what is there to see in the sky
tonight. Most of the observing
sessions that we have for
Observe@MIT are at night, but
we sometimes hold sessions during
the day as well. ". . . Eyepiece
right now, so we're zooming in
on the sunspot. Can you see it?"
The first time you look at the
moon through a telescope or
look at the sun through a solar
telescope you see these levels
of detail that are just so
surprising and intricate and real
that I think what that means is
at these observing sessions you
get people who keep coming back
because they like that and
they're hooked on that experience
of seeing this really cool view
of our very nearby universe.
But then you also get people who
are just dragged along or wonder
on in because they're interested
in trying something new.
And in fact in one case a student
of mine brought his girlfriend
along to an observing session
and she got so interested she
joined the class even though
she wasn't a regular student.
I think a goal that we should
have is to get more people to
look through a telescope.
Getting a chance to look more
closely at these things that are
all around us brings this extra
complexity and beauty to the
world, or I guess to the universe
in this case, that is really
rewarding for everyone who gets
to take part in it. In some ways
you find your place in the
universe by seeing what goes on
around you and we like to share
that with the MIT community.
I've had people who come back
almost every observing session
and look through the telescope
every single time. And its just
wonderful to catch up with people
who I've seen before and talk
about what their doing in their
lives today and also talk about
what is going on in the sky
above them on this particular day.