Ritter Observatory

Image by E. Hesselbach

• Research: long-term monitoring of variable stars that have winds, circumstellar disks, or active envelopes, with occasional forays into spectroscopy of bright solar system objects
• Access by the professional astronomical community, with support by the National Science Foundation Program for Research and Education with Small Telescopes (PREST)
• Instruction
• Public outreach: public observing on the first Friday of every month, offered through Ritter Planetarium and Brooks Observatory

Information for observers

At the end of December 2006, we received our new Spectral Instruments 600 Series camera, with a 4K X 4K CCD (at right). This camera is now installed and fully operational on the échelle spectrograph. More information is available here. A colorized version of a spectrum of Deneb obtained with the new camera can be viewed here.

• Telescope and instrumentation - page under construction
• Usage: the telescope is used on essentially every spectroscopically usable night by a team that, as of this writing, consists of three graduate students, two faculty members, and several undergraduate and graduate student trainees.
• Observing schedule
• Operational status as of Sunday, April 12, 2009 : The CCD camera controller for the Low-Dispersion Spectrograph is again failing to cool the camera to operating temperature. Therefore, only our échelle spectrograph is now operational.

Spectra Data reduction Index to archival data taken before April 2007 On-line, public archive of reduced data Ritter Observatory is part of the Ritter Astrophysical Research Center. Bibliography and annual reports Staff Director: Nancy D. Morrison Graduate Research Assistant: Erica Hesselbach Observatory Technician Robert J. Burmeister retired on August 31, 2006 after 18 years of exemplary service. We wish him well in his new life! Ashok Bhandary began serving as Observatory Technician on August 25, 2008. Welcome, Ashok! Document custodian: Nancy Morrison Page last updated: Saturday, April 11, 2009