Stargazing

Inside April 22, 2003's Issue

-News-

FC students earn credit hours for gazing at the stars

By Jesse Bishop
Staff Writer

Students in the Physical Science II class, also known as Astronomy, have been pointing telescopes at the stars this semester.

Charles Garrison, lab assistant, said students really seem to enjoy the campus’s Bishop Observatory.

“They gain confidence in ‘star-hopping,’” he said.

“Star-hopping” is a method of locating stars with the naked eye then using a pattern to find things that are not visible to the naked eye with the telescopes.

Students can view various stars, nebulas, planets and occasionally a satellite or two from the observatory.

The observatory is comprised of three different areas. The actual observatory building is where the largest of the telescopes is located, while the student viewing area is available for students to work in small groups using somewhat smaller telescopes. The final area is a classroom.

The observatory building features a rolling roof and two large telescopes, 12 and 16 inches.

The 16-inch is the telescope most frequently used and has an assortment of lenses for different uses, said Garrison.

Parents, relatives and friends are often welcome to accompany students to the viewing sessions, according to Garrison. And usually one night is set aside each semester for an open house, during which the community is invited to come try out the facility.

However, bad weather earlier in the semester prevented the open house from being held this time, Garrison said.

The Bishop Observatory is named for Dr. John Bradford Bishop, a former assistant professor of physics and mathematics at Georgia Highlands College who spearheaded efforts in 1994 to bring a quality observatory to the college.

Bishop was an FC student from 1978 to 1980. He then attended Berry College, receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics in 1983.

After working at the Naval Intelligence Support Center in Washington, D.C., Bishop went on to the University of Alabama in Birmingham to receive his Ph.D.
He was involved with research dealing with insulin crystal growth in space, a project later picked up by NASA, with Bishop’s experiment being carried aboard a space shuttle.

Bishop was teaching at Georgia Highlands College in 1995 when he was killed in a traffic accident.

Garrison said the observatory was built where a “bait shack” used to be. He said the bait shack had only one telescope for student use.

The observatory was dedicated to Bishop on May 17, 1997. Since that time hundreds of students have been able to peek into the universe like never before.

Students interested in astronomy may want to register for Physical Science II, which will be offered in the second summer class session. Physical Science I is not a prerequisite for Physical Science II. For more information about the class students may contact Mark Pergrem, instructor of physics, by emailing him at [email protected] or contacting the division of science and math at (706) 295-6306.