DARK SKIES, BRIGHT MINDS
| Dear Friends in Education: Schools face difficult challenges in providing the resources to prepare
our youth for the future
opportunities in space science. Given the current climate of budget cuts and economical woes across the
nation, it’s nice to report that
in South Dakota, schools have a new and exciting teaching aid! Badlands Observatory, an educational affiliate of the South Dakota Space Grant Consortium, is pleased to announce Dark Skies, Bright Minds, an astronomy education program co-sponsored by the South Dakota Space Grant Consortium. With funding through NASA, remote telescope access is available from your school, college, or university. Please read the following letter and feel free to distribute it to the appropriate educators in your institution. The program will fund projects that provide educational enrichment through the use of remote telescope time. Objects in space such as the Sun, Moon, Planets, Nebulae, Comets, Stars, etc. can be imaged. How is this possible?
Badlands Observatory is a
private observatory, established by Ron Dyvig in Quinn, South Dakota.
Ron purchased the old abandoned Quinn hospital in 1998 for the express
purpose of fulfilling a lifelong dream of owning an observatory.
Ron has had a passion for space science since his boyhood in Deadwood,
South Dakota and has pursued his interest through formal and informal studies of
astronomy. For many years, he
juggled several careers in preparation for reaching his goal of having a private
research facility. Despite a tragic
fire that destroyed the former hospital and all of Ron’s personal possessions,
friends and supporters encouraged and assisted Ron in persevering to make
Badlands Observatory what it is today, the foremost facility in the Upper Great
Plains devoted to astronomy education and research. |
For the past 4 years, Ron has been concentrating on
asteroid research using the 26” Newtonian telescope he fabricated himself.
Last year, using a grant through former Governor
Bill Janklow, Ron was able to upgrade the camera and telescope drive and
purchase client/server software that permits outside use over the Internet.
A test group of 15 observers have imaged celestial objects from remote
locations as far away as Hawaii using desktop and laptop computers connected
through cable, dial-up and wireless networks. The South Dakota
Space Grant Consortium has set aside funds to allow use of the remote
telescope facility, without charge,
by schools, colleges, and universities within the state of South Dakota.
If response from the schools is high enough to expend the NASA funds, Badlands
Observatory will still offer the program at no charge to schools that wish to
participate. Two novel methods of remote observation are available. Share-My-Sky
is a method that is extremely user-friendly, and does not require the purchase
of any additional specialized software in order to operate the telescope and CCD
camera remotely to capture and download images. IAClient, also
user-friendly, is a method that provides a very realistic remote observing
experience, and requires a small investment in custom software that is also
useable for many other astronomical functions. Additional information about both of these methods may be obtained here. Guidelines for institutions desiring participation in Dark Skies, Bright Minds may be obtained below. We welcome your
questions and comments! Please call us at (605) 386-2105 or email badobs@gwtc.net. Sincerely, Teresa E. Hofer |
Guidelines
Dark Skies, Bright Minds
Dark Skies, Bright Minds is an educational/research program made possible through collaboration between the South Dakota Space Grant Consortium and Badlands Observatory, along with a special grant from the office of former Governor William J. Janklow. Remote Internet access to the 26" telescope facility is offered without charge to schools, colleges, and universities within the state of South Dakota, and is restricted to the following guidelines. Observing requests outside these guidelines will be subject to the normal commercial hourly rates, and may be obtained by email directly from Badlands Observatory. Please click badobs@gwtc.net and request the commercial rates.