With renovations of Knox College’s Alumni Hall complete and the school close to raising the funds needed for the new art building, a permanent observatory is near the top of list of priorities for donors.
Currently the school has a portable observatory, located in the Umbeck Science-Mathematics Center, they got for a cost of around $4,000.
The update would cost significantly more although architects have yet to make specific estimates.
Part of the cost would be purchasing new equipment, such as a telescope.
Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy Nathalie Haurberg tells WGIL the new space will open academic opportunities for students.
“We really opened up a lot of opportunities for students to become hands-on engaged with doing astronomy,” Haurber says, “doing classes, as projects, as research of they want to do that.”
Additionally Haurberg hopes that the community can be involved in utilizing the observatory.
Public nights for non-science Knox students and Galesburg residents is a goal of hers.
“It’s a really sort of unique piece of equipment that you don’t get to see and use very often.”
She says that this new permanent fixture will bring a more obvious presence to astronomy at the school and the town.
Knox’s current observatory only holds about three people at a time, the proposed new one could 15-20.
The goal is to have the construction complete in five years
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