User:NMSU Ast/sandbox

The Department of Astronomy at New Mexico State University is located on the campus of New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. 10 Faculty are actively engaged in a variety of research programs, including planetary science, solar physics, interstellar medium, variable stars, and extragalactic and cosmological studies. Research efforts include both observational and theoretical aspects. NMSU graduate students play key roles and lead the efforts as they work toward earning their PhD degree.

The department is a member of the Astrophysics Research Consortium, which manages and operates the Apache Point Observatory, including the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.

The NMSU Astronomy Department also houses the NASA Planetary Data System Atmospheres Discipline Node. This archive for spacecraft and ground-based data related to planetary atmospheres is a national resource, providing data and documentation from NASA solar system missions. The Atmospheres Node is an important component of the NMSU Astronomy Department, providing employment opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students as well as research tools for the planetary science faculty and postdocs.

Teaching
The department teaches a selection of General Education (100-level), undergraduate Wider World (300-level) and graduate classes. It offers an astronomy minor at Undergraduate, and a PhD research program at graduate level.

Current Professors
A (incomplete) list of current members of the department.
 * Nancy Chanover
 * Chris Churchill
 * Kristian Finlator
 * Jon Holtzmann(Head)
 * Anatoly Klypin (Regents Professor)
 * Moire Prescott
 * Rene Walterboss(Regents Professor)
 * Jason Jackiewicz
 * James McAteer
 * Jim Murphy

Notable Past Members
Here are some notable members of the Department and its former institutes.
 * Reta Beebe
 * Bill Weber
 * Clyde Tombaugh

Telescopes
The NMSU Astronomy Department operates the Apache Point Observatory for the Astrophysical Research Corporation (ARC), a collaborative partnership that includes NMSU, University of Washington, University of Chicago, the Institute of Advanced Study, Johns Hopkins University, Princeton University, and the University of Colorado at Boulder. Apache Point Observatory is located in the Sacramento Mountains in southern New Mexico, about a two hour drive from NMSU.

APO is currently home to four astronomical telescopes.


 * The ARC 3.5m telescope is a general purpose telescope used by ARC partners for a wide range of astronomical research; NMSU owns a 15% share (about 50 nights/year) of the telescope time. The 3.5m is capable of delivering high quality images to a variety of instruments including an optical imager, an optical spectrograph, an optical echelle spectrograph, a near IR imager, and an optical Fabry-Perot; other instrument initiatives are underway.
 * The Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) 2.5m telescope is also located at APO. The SDSS is an ambitious project to provide digital imaging of 1/4 of the entire sky in five colors, with followup spectroscopy of a million galaxies plus additional quasar and stellar targets. The SDSS partnership includes NMSU and most of the ARC partners, as well as several other prominent international institutions.
 * NMSU has full ownership of a 1m telescope at APO. This telescope has been used for several imaging research programs. It can be run in a robotic mode, which makes it ideal for long term and/or monitoring programs. Much of the technical work required on this telescope is performed by department members, including graduate students, providing an opportunity to obtain technical experience. All of the optics for the telescope were recently repolished, with the goal of improving the image quality.
 * NMSU also owns a 24-inch reflector on Tortugas Mountain (known locally as "A" mountain), located just a few miles east of campus. This telescope has been used extensively in the past 25 years for planetary observations, including monitoring of Jupiter's storms and HST-support observations of the Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 impact on Jupiter. Although it is rarely used at present, it provides opportunities for observatory training and public outreach efforts.

Public activities
Open House events are held on Friday nights at the Tombaugh Observatory on the NMSU campus. They occur roughly once per month, often near the time of the first-quarter Moon from September through May, and occasionally during the summer. Each evening program begins with a short presentation, followed by guided observing through telescopes.