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A $141,634 grant from the Oakley Foundation of Terre Haute will allow Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology students to utilize the Internet to operate a telescope based at a new observatory in Australia, keeping the college at the forefront of astronomical technology and discovery.

Continuing Rose-Hulman Support: Oakley Foundation officers (from left) Eston Perry, Jennifer Perry and Jeff Perry learn more about the Oakley Southern Sky Observatory project from Richard Ditteon, professor of physics and optical engineering, and Robert Bright, chairman of the Rose-Hulman Board of Trustees and the institute's chief executive officer.

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View the video interview with Dr. Richard Ditteon: Click Here

Rose-Hulman plans to build, equip and operate by late 2006 an observatory located in the Blue Mountains region near Coonabarabran, Australia. The Oakley Southern Sky Observatory will have a 20-inch aperture telescope equipped with a CCD camera for recording images. These images will be downloaded for study on campus.

The telescope will be used by Rose-Hulman students taking an introductory astronomy course, members of the astronomical society, and students conducting research in astronomy. Current research includes making observations of main belt asteroids, searching for supernovae, and variable star photometry.

“Rose-Hulman students have a tremendous interest in astronomy and a real love affair with technology. The Australian observatory satisfies both,” states Richard Ditteon, professor of physics and optical engineering. “The generosity and support of the Oakley Foundation has once again placed Rose-Hulman at the forefront of astronomical technology.”

The Oakley Foundation provided $500,000 to Rose-Hulman in 1999 to construct and equip the Oakley Observatory, an elevated structure located on the eastern edge of campus. The observatory’s eight telescopes have allowed students to discover 33 asteroids and make thousands of photometric measurements of asteroids. The observatory also paved the way for Rose-Hulman to initiate an area minor program in astronomy, which is open to all students.

Outlining Observatory Project: Richard Ditteon, director of the Oakley Observatory, showcases the 20-inch aperture telescope that will be based in Australia but operated Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology faculty and students.

“This gift illustrates the Oakley Foundation’s continued commitment to help Rose-Hulman provide the very best education possible to its talented students,” explained Eston Perry, Oakley Foundation Treasurer and Director.

“Rose-Hulman is a tremendous community asset. This new observatory will not only benefit students, but Rose-Hulman will also use the observatory as an educational resource for the entire community,” he stated.

Ditteon, who also serves and the observatory’s director, stated: “The Oakley Observatory is already the envy of other colleges, and the addition of the Australian observatory moves us even farther ahead.”

However, the campus observatory has its limitations, especially during the winter and spring quarters when overcast skies hamper the telescopes range of sight. Rose-Hulman has been forced to pay to use a telescope at the Tenagra Observatory in Arizona to conduct research, which has resulted in 29 students publishing 13 technical papers studying 43 asteroid light curves. Asteroid photometry is a significant area of astronomical research, and gets students involved in scientific research.

Rose-Hulman’s new Australian observatory will eliminate the need to rent observation time in Arizona, provide for year-round astronomy study and research, and enable the college to offer workshops and a summer research experience for undergraduate students in astronomy, Ditteon observed.

What's In A Name?: Rose-Hulman graduate student Tyler Gremore is congratulated by Richard Ditteon, director of the Oakley Observatory, for winning a student contest to name the new Oakley Southern Sky Observatory.

“The Australian site will have clear skies much of the year and will be located near a professional observatory. And, because Australia is in the southern hemisphere, our students will be able to see parts of the sky that can never be seen from Terre Haute.”

Ron Kaitchuck, professor of physics and astronomy at Ball State University, states the telescope will be “especially advantageous because of the longitude difference. It will allow observations when it’s daytime in Indiana. There is no doubt that faculty and students will benefit greatly from the access to this remote telescope.”

Alan Harris, retired astronomer from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory at California Institute of Technology, states that Rose-Hulman’s new Australian observatory will provide a substantial spark for Rose-Hulman’s astronomy program.

“Over the past several years, Rick Ditteon and his students have produced a substantial number of lightcurves of asteroids, revealing the shapes and rotation periods of these objects,” Harris observed. “As we probe to ever smaller asteroids, we are discovering an increasing fraction of them to be binary systems, with satellites orbiting the primary asteroid, revealed in the lightcurve by ‘eclipses’ between the two bodies. This calls for somewhat larger telescopes and darker skies than available at the Oakley Observatory.”

Rose-Hulman students will be fully involved in the daily operation of the Australian observatory, under the supervision of Ditteon and Elaine Kirkpatrick, assistant professor of physics and optical engineering. The telescope will also be available for use by any visitor to the Oakley Observatory or by Terre Haute area residents through special arrangements.

The project could take approximately 12 months to order and procure all equipment, construct the observatory, and calibrate the telescope, camera and Internet connections to the Oakley Observatory in Terre Haute. Ditteon will spend a month in Australia in early 2006 to set up the mount, telescope and camera.