Students proceeding with plan to restore observatory

Limestone College biology professor Kerry Heafner checks to see if a wasp nest has been successfully removed Saturday while checking out the observatory. An orange hunter's moon on the evening of Oct. 14 became the latest wonder in the sky that sent amateur astronomers to their telescopes.

Catawba Valley Astronomy Club member Dr. Jon Kavanaugh has learned a telescope isn't always necessary for star gazing. His club frequently receives questions from residents interested in viewing lunar eclipses, comets and other astronomical events.

Kavanaugh was in Gaffney on Saturday to take a look at the observatory on the Limestone College campus. The Maiden, N.C., resident brought along tools to work on repairing the telescope mount and provided Limestone College Science Club President Ricky Davis with pointers on how to get the observatory in working condition.

It's too early to say whether the Limestone College Science Club will be able to move forward with their plans to restore the observatory. Club members have planned a cleanup day Oct. 25 before deciding how to proceed with the project.

Kavanaugh did offer some tips for county residents interested in watching the sky for unusual moon and star activity.

"The Farmer's Almanac contains a listing of seasons and moon dates. There are moons easily visible on a clear night that you don't need a telescope to see," Kavanaugh said. "One of the fascinating things to watch for are iridium flames. People often mistake these flares for shooting stars or even UFOs."

Kavanaugh said the satellite flares are a phenomenon caused by the reflective surfaces on satellites, such as solar panels, reflecting sunlight to the Earth. These bright lights come from the main mission antenna on the satellites.

"These are small communication satellites that have been tumbling around in orbit since the early 1980s. They have been used to develop cell phones that can make calls from anywhere in the world such as Antarctica," Kavanaugh said. "Every once in awhile one of the satellite antennas will come into contact with a solar panel. This causes a bright flare that can last anywhere from five to 20 seconds before it disappears from view."

Limestone College science club members have expressed an interest in repairing the observatory. It was purchased by the college in 1971 and moved from Blacksburg to its present location beside the quarry.

The observatory has not been used since the early 1980s. The telescope has been disassembled.

Davis and Limestone College biology professor Kerry Heafner removed a big wasp's nest Saturday from the telescope mount inside the observatory.

"The science club has expressed an interest in repairing the observatory so it is functioning again," Heafner said. "There has been a lot of support in the community, even though we are very much in the early planning stages for the project. We would like to eventually hold public viewing nights in the observatory."