Focal Point Fall 2015
The final frontier
Astronomy classes teach stargazing students about the vastness of the universe
photo by Amanda Pitts
by Matthew Makowski
video by Jeremy Knickerbocker
Space: the final frontier. These are the academic voyages of Grand Valley students. Their mission is to explore strange new curiosities, seek out new knowledge and new understanding, and to boldly go where no Laker has gone before.
While students don’t venture into the stars like the fictional crew members from “Star Trek,” they have the next best thing: astronomy courses that provide opportunities to study the stars and the universe.
Rooted in the Physics Department, three astronomy courses are offered. Ross Reynolds, professor of physics, said these courses equip students with a heightened sense of curiosity.
A Canon 5D Mark III camera with a 24-70mm lens at 24mm was used to capture this image of mathematics and physics major Nate Orndorf studying the Milky Way galaxy. The camera settings were 6000 ISO and F2.8 with a 10-second exposure.
Nate Orndorf, a fourth-year mathematics and physics major from Bellefontaine, Ohio, said the astronomy courses offer him the stimulating opportunity to study “the final frontier.”
“As long as I can remember, I’ve loved looking up at the stars,” he said. “Astronomy is a great way to learn more about what is out there, not only in the classroom, but also through stargazing and using telescopes.”
Uncooperative weather often leads to Reynolds and other faculty members getting more creative with their class activities. Reynolds said telescopes are sometimes used for “star parties,” which are informal gatherings outside of classes for students to look at planets, the moon and other interesting objects.
Low visibility was one of the challenges University Communications photographer Amanda Pitts and her team encountered when capturing the photo on these pages. Along with light pollution, weather and moon conditions, the team also battled the fast rotation of the Earth during their photo shoot at Wilderness State Park in Emmet County July 15-16.
“As soon as we had the shot set up, the Milky Way appeared to have moved in the mirror reflection, and we had to move all the equipment to get everything to appear where we wanted,” Pitts said.
