Rice University Campus Observatory
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About the Observatory
The observatory holds open houses for the public and Rice-sponsored special groups during the fall and spring semesters. These are usually on weekends near first quarter moon. Check the box at the top left of this page.
Operated by the Department of Physics and Astronomy, the Rice Campus Observatory (RUCO) features a computerized 16" Meade telescope, and several smaller telescopes for use primarily in undergraduate courses at Rice. Classes which make use of the observatory include- Astr 201: Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe, an introductory astronomy course for non-majors
- Astr 202: Exploration of the Solar System, an introductory class in planetary science for non-science majors
- Astr 221: Observing the Night Sky, a new lab class for students in all academic programs
- Astr 230: Astronomy Lab, the primary course for Astronomy majors and others to learn to use a research caliber telescope and equipment including spectrometers and CCD imagers. Students in Astr 230 also learn advanced image processing techniques such as IRAF which they use to analyze data taken with RUCO to do a final research project.
- Upper level courses may also make use of RUCO throughout the semester. Complete descriptions of the courses can be found here.
RUCO is open for public viewing several nights throughout the year, usually with a faculty member on-site available to answer questions on astronomy. Please refer to our schedule of open houses for dates and times.
The observatory is guided by a committee of faculty with Professor Reginald J. Dufour as its chair.
More Information
For more information about astronomy and space science at Rice please refer to our research pages and our course listings Additional space-related events of interest to the public can be found on the Rice Space Institute home page.