Star light, star bright

This weekend, the Astronomy Department will bring out Bloomington's brightest stars.\nThe first ever Astrofest is a combination of three events for the public, students and alumni, including a rededication of the Kirkwood Observatory, IU's second WIYNfest and also a celebration of astronomy professor Frank Edmondson's 90th birthday. \nThe original observatory was built in 1900 and dedicated on May 15, 1901. Daniel Kirkwood, considered one of the best astronomers of his time, analyzed the orbits of asteroids and associated them with Jupiter's orbit.\n"If there was a Nobel prize in the 19th century, he would have won it," astronomy department chair Richard Durisen said. \nThrough the years, the wooden dome, which opens in order to view the sky, has warped due to Indiana's inconsistent weather, resulting in difficulties in using the telescope. Durisen said due to the telescope's sheer age, its parts were in desperate need of cleaning and polishing.\nBut because the observatory is considered a historical monument, it is required that the observatory's original structure not be destroyed or severely altered during restoration. Durisen said the telescope was taken apart completely for cleaning and polishing.\n"It was a shame we couldn't change (the dome) to aluminum because wood doesn't last very long," Durisen said.\nThe Wisconsin Indiana Yale National Observatory has been planned since the WIYN agreement was signed in 1990. The telescope, which is located near Tuscon, Ariz., was built by IU, along with the University of Wisconsin, Yale University and the National Observatory. With groundbreaking only two years after the original signing, Durisen said WIYN was a result of, "an incredible coordination of different resources."\nWIYN does not solely belong to IU. The University is only entitled to 17 percent of the viewing time, which is done through a computer. The viewing time was determined by the amount of money that each organization contributed to the project. In total, WIYN cost about $14 million, of which IU contributed $3.4 million. But the University continues to pay about $100,000 per year in maintenance and operational costs.\nThrough the use of WIYN, astronomy professors are able to bring science to the classroom in real time. Undergraduates mainly use WIYN solely for research data in the classroom, while graduate students and professors use WIYN for research and observational techniques. WIYN allows students a first hand look at the sky, something that is difficult to show in a textbook. \n"It makes astronomy so much more exciting," Durisen said.\nPlanning for Astrofest began last spring after Yale University ran a similar event successfully. On Friday, the Kirkwood Observatory will be open to the public, concluding with an evening star party, where graduate students will operate the telescope. Saturday will host a series of astronomy talks, posters by graduate students presenting their research, and ending with an inside look at the WIYN telescope.\nProfessor Edmondson's 90th birthday was Aug. 1, but he will be celebrating again at Astrofest. Edmondson served as chairman of the astronomy department for more than 30 years from 1944 to 1978. Edmondson played a pivotal role in the development and site selection of the National Optical Astronomy Observatories. He also ensured that IU was a founding member of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy. The astronomy department is holding a banquet, by invitation only, Saturday night in Edmondson's honor.\nGraduate student Steven Margheim said he is extremely excited for Astrofest. \n"I am excited about the rededication of the Kirkwood telescope because it represents the completion of nearly two years worth of renovation work during which time the telescope was unavailable," he said. \nMargheim is eager to share his research about exploding stars with the public.\nProfessor Kent Honeycutt said he is excited to see past students from different generations unite under a common bond at Astrofest. He expects about 40 to 50 alumni will attend the event. \n"This is a good number of returning students, as the department currently has about 25 undergraduate students and 14 graduate students," Honeycutt said.\nHe said he recommends students attend the event if they have a chance. It is not every day that students are exposed to such a "technically excellent telescope." \nIf students are unable to attend, Durisen said the Kirkwood Observatory is open for public viewing every clear Wednesday night when classes are in session. Another great way to make use of both the WIYN telescope and the Kirkwood Observatory is to enroll in an astronomy course. \n"It is an exciting time for the astronomy department and IU, and Astrofest is a great time for us to reflect on our past achievements, share in our exciting present, and hopefully prepare for an amazing future," Margheim said.