Star

struck

By CASEY RESSLER-Frontiersman Valley Life editor

What is really out there? Like, way out there?

It sounds like a question for a college philosophy course, or a chapter in a self-help book. But students at Burchell High School can answer that question definitively.

All they have to do is walk a few hundred feet behind their recently renovated school, throw open the roof -- yes, the roof -- and take a look through the eyepiece of the 26-inch Newtonian telescope, which is 12 feet long. Then they can tell you that there are galaxies way out there. There are nebulas. There are stars, planets, moons and a lot of other cool things. Most of all, there are opportunities out there, in the Stargate Observatory.

"As far as I know, it's the largest observatory at a high school in America," said science teacher Tim Lundt, who was instrumental in getting grants and overseeing the construction. "It's a great thing to have available to the students, and to the community. This is a chance for the kids to get into astronomy and apply their knowledge to research projects. It's a great opportunity for them."

The enormous telescope, built by Butte resident Jim Egger, is housed in a 24-foot-by-24-foot metal building, complete with a retractable roof.

There are catwalks in the observatory for people to use to peer into the sky, and there are benches around the telescope, making it a comfortable place to not only ponder the universe, but to actually take a look at it as well.

Through the lens, on a perfect night, Lundt can focus a telescope on a single crater of the moon. Or he can see "deep sky" objects such as galaxies and nebulas.

"Right now, there really are no limits for us, as long as what you want to see is in the Northern Hemisphere," Lundt said. "Jupiter and Saturn fill the entire eyepiece."

The project actually began at Wasilla High School, where teacher Mike Lutes secured the first grant. There wasn't room for the project there, but Lundt knew Burchell High School had the room for it.

The entire project -- telescope, observatory and components -- cost about $50,000, most of which came from two Alaska Science and Technology Foundation grants, an Alternative Strategies to Suspension and Expulsion grant, an Alaska Space Grant and money from a Jordan Fundamentals grant.

A student-construction crew from Burchell worked on the building, and WeldAir was instrumental in helping with the design and construction costs as well.

"Ultimately, our principal Dave Holmquist had to come up with some funds too, and he was instrumental in making this happen," Lundt said.

The observatory also features a 10-inch telescope that can be used on the observatory deck. On the large, computer-driven telescope, the telescope can be fitted with a camera that allows images to be shown on a computer screen, making access to the stars a reality for everyone.

"If older people or kids or anybody, actually, don't want to crawl up on the ladder to look through the eyepiece, they can see on the screen exactly what is in the eyepiece, without leaving the ground," Lundt said.

While the opening of the observatory is a big event, the future is what gets Lundt really excited.

"I have a lot of future things I'd like to see happen. I'm still talking to the district, but I'd love to offer a night astronomy class to kids districtwide," Lundt said. "In my hometown in Colorado, a school has an 18-inch telescope and kids come from all over the district for classes. They don't miss a single day. That's what I'd like here."

Lundt is applying for another grant which would allow him to run LAN cable from the observatory to his science classroom, and each student would have images on a computer as quickly as the telescope could focus on them.

Even with all of the expensive equipment and best technology, the weather still plays an important factor.

The weather has to be relatively nice for it to be operable -- low winds, no rain or snow, clear and above zero on the thermometer.

"We are hoping for eight viewable nights a month," Lundt said. "The more viewable nights we get, the more we can offer."

Burchell High School is located on the Parks Highway, across from Spenard Builders Supply.

Stargate Observatory open to the public

The Stargate Observatory, at Burchell High School, is open to the public Wednesdays and Saturdays from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., with one little catch.

"The only limiting thing we have is the Alaska weather," said science teacher Tim Lundt. "All that we ask is that people call ahead to see if we can open it up."

The observatory (see related story) is free of charge, and people can come to just look at the stars, or search the sky for a specific point or object, ranging from galaxies to planets.

Before going to the observatory, people are encouraged to call 355-9055 to see if it will be open. Lundt will be answering the phone or leaving a recorded message about whether or not the observatory is open.

"We need to remind people to dress warm, too, because it isn't heated," Lundt said.

The observatory is also open to organizations that would like tours. Lundt said he asks that organizations give him about two weeks notice.

Lundt said he plans to have the observatory open through the first week in April. After that, the lack of darkness makes it difficult to see celestial objects.