Links
The most recent public open house of the campus observatory atop Brockman Hall,
hosted by Dr. Hartigan, was held Friday, March 30th and was very successful.
We dodged clouds early, but it then cleared nicely.
Please check the
Open Houses link for information
about future open houses.
Rice University Campus Observatory [RUCO]
About the Observatory
THE OBSERVATORY WAS MOVED FROM ITS NORTH ANNEX PARKING LOT LOCATION TO THE TOP OF BROCKMAN HALL IN EARLY 2011 AND IS NOW FULLY OPERATIONAL. DURING THE ACADEMIC YEAR (Sept - May) WE HOLD OPEN HOUSES ON FRIDAYS NEAREST FIRST QUARTER MOON. WE ARE CLOSED DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS.
Operated by the
Department of Physics and Astronomy, the Rice University 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.