Bridgewater State College is fortunate to be one of the few Massachusetts State Colleges with a functioning observatory of its own. (Salem State College is another.) The dome was built in 1975 and had gone through a few changes since then. We have a brand new telescope (2001) with which we are able to take digital images of celestial objects and we will soon have a video capabilities as well.

The Observatory is staffed by volunteers and is managed through the Bridgewater State College Physics and Earth Sciences/Geography Departments.

Who are we? Some of the folks who work public nights and help maintain the observatory include:

• Dr. Martina B. Arndt, Assistant Professor of Physics at BSC.
• Mr. Steve LaFlamme, experienced amateur astronomer with a history at the BSC Observatory.
• Mr. Jim Munise, our faithful technician who finds a way to fix anything - including sqeaking and sticking domes!
• Mr. Marcus Gagliardi, was an enthusiastic undergraduate physics major at BSC and astronomy buff. He has now gone on to get his Masters Degree in phyiscs at Idaho State University.

What kind of Equipment do we have?

• A Meade LX-200 12" telescope. The telescope is fit with a new focus mechanism (RoboFocus) for fine tuning the focussing.
• A Pictor 416 XT CCD imaging camera, which we are still learning to use.
• An Astrovid StellaCam and monitor. This video camera is able to image deep sky objects in optical as well as some IR wavelengths. As a result we will be able to image galaxies, nebulae, the moon, planets, and stars. This image will then be projected onto a monitor for all to see. Because of the camera's IR sensitivity, we will also be able to see some features on planets that we cannot see with just our eyes. Most importantly, this technology will allow us to project the images on portable monitors making it possible for those who cannot climb stairs to see the view through the telescope. This equipment was purchased with a grant from the Bridgewater Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
• New in 2003! A research grade photometer that we can use to observe variable stars.
• New in 2003! A Small Radio Telescope, which will likely be housed on the roof of Conant Science Center. This telescope was designed at Haystack Observatory in Westford, Mass, and they have been working tirelessly to develop educational tools for use with the SRT.
• New in 2003! Coming soon! A spectrometer that is being built at U. Mass Dartmouth by students there.
• Wireless internet access.
• Filters galore: Solar filter, lunar filter, Nebular filter, colored filters...