A reach for the stars

When you think of Galileo Galilei, you could say that astrophysics stood at the cradle of modern science. Galilei was the first to use a telescope for astronomic observations, which led to his his conviction that the Earth circles the Sun. Centuries later telescopes still have great importance for astronomy – for research as well as teaching.

Since this autumn, the Department of Physics owns a handsome reflector telescope, acquired in the interest of the practice-oriented education of students. It allows astrophysics students and junior researchers to observe and measure the planets, stars and galaxies and to carry out observation projects. The telescope stands on the highest building (HPP) of the Hönggerberg campus and was inaugurated on 24 September 2013. The diameter of its primary mirror is 50 cm and it is equipped with a camera with light-sensitive CCD (charge-coupled device) sensors which allow long exposures for sensitive measurements.

“Now students can practice how to use a telescope for research tasks and collect and analyse measurement data. This will help them later on when they have to use larger scale telescopes,” explains Hans Martin Schmid, a professor at the Department of Physics. The new telescope is used in the practical physics courses at the Institute for Astronomy, which is why it has been named “HPP-Teleskop” (for “Hönggerberg Physik Praktikum”). The Executive Board of ETH supported the acquisition with a financial contribution.
The first demonstrations of the telescope at its inauguration showed in what detail the surfaces of the planets can be observed. Under a blue sky and late-summer sunshine, Venus could be observed in all her beauty. 

In mid-October, Schmid’s PhD students Andreas Bazzon and Henning Avenhaus tried out the HPP telescope with a group of students and took pictures of various astronomical objects with the CCD camera (see image gallery). “Although the conditions were not quite ideal because of the full moon, we were able to achieve excellent image quality,” says Henning Avenhaus. “We are looking forward to using it further in teaching and research.” An image of the Orion Nebula will adorn the 2013 New Year's card sent out by the ETH Executive Board.