SIERRA COLLEGE
ASTRONOMY DEPARTMENT

On the Tuesday evening of November 6, 2007, the students of Professor Kenyon’s Astronomy 11 lab class sat at their computer terminals in ST-2 (the Astronomy Lab) on the Rocklin campus and proceeded to open the dome of our Robotic Observatory on the Grass Valley campus. Their objective was to track the telescope to Comet Holmes, use the sophisticated camera system to take a few images, and then create a final image using some image processing software.

Below is an image of the sun taken on March 28th, 2001 at 3:05 P.M. P.D.T. (Pacific Daylight Time) from the Sierra College campus by Professor Dave Kenyon. The picture was taken through a C-8 telescope at prime focus using 400ASA film and a solar filter.

The dark spots on the sun are sunspots. Sunspots are magnetic storms which appear from time to time on the photosphere (the Sun's visible surface). They appear darker because they are cooler than the surrounding surface of the Sun. This sunspot is about 20 times the size of the Earth and resulted in an aurora display on March 30th observed by many in the Northern Hemisphere including Sierra College's Astronomy 11 class on March 30th, 2001.

Prof. Kenyon sets up and observes Mercury's transit of the Sun on November 16, 1999

Professors Marasso and Houpis join in on the fun with guests.

 

Return to Home Planet (Sierra College Astronomy Home Page)