Starting this semester, students taking the yearlong course "Introduction to Astronomy" (Physics 121/122) to satisfy their general-education science requirement can check out the constellations simply by going up to the roof of Fronczak Hall, the same building where their lab sessions are held.

There stands a domed observatory that rotates 360 degrees and has a sliding shutter on the roof that peels back to reveal the brilliance of the night sky.

"This telescope puts us in a far better teaching situation than we were," said Bernard Weinstein, professor of physics who teaches Physics 121/122. "For the first time, I can assign a semesterlong project to students where they learn to align the telescope, use the right eyepieces and take pictures with it."

Equipped with a digital camera, the new, 10-inch reflecting telescope allows students to take pictures of the sky and then download them to a laptop computer so that they can study and refine the images later to obtain the best view.

Weinstein said the fact that the telescope is controlled by a computer makes it much easier to locate specific objects in the sky. "After an initial alignment on the North Star, you punch in the coordinates (right ascension and declination) of a faint object, like a galaxy, nebula or star cluster, and the telescope turns to that location," he said.

That, he added, is an "enormous improvement" over the older telescope, which sometimes required several hours' work before a faint object in the sky could be observed.

"Also, because of the new telescope, one of the objectives with this course is realizable: That is, to give students enough knowledge and experience with telescopes so that they can pursue astronomy as a fascinating hobby after they leave UB."

Weinstein noted that the addition of the new telescope makes UB's introductory course-its only offering in astronomy-competitive at the introductory level with other universities that offer full-fledged astronomy programs.

University facilities staff constructed a wooden deck for the observatory dome, with a steel platform to support the telescope.

Funding for the telescope and its observatory was provided by the Office of the Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics before it merged into the new College of Arts and Sciences. Additional support for equipment and operation came from the Department of Physics.

The telescope is open Mondays and Tuesdays from 8-11 p.m., weather permitting, primarily for class use and will be available on a limited basis to the community after March 15. For more information, call Weinstein at 645-2017.