astronomy

Orchard Hill Observatory

Orchard Hill Observatory is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Orchard Hill Observatory rather than just read about it. In short: The Orchard Hill Observatory is an astronomical observatory located at the highest point on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus. Constructed in 1965, the observatory is a red brick building with a 16-inch Cassegrain reflector optical telescope.

Key takeaways

Orchard Hill Observatory belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Orchard Hill Observatory to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Orchard Hill Observatory from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Orchard Hill Observatory is an astronomical observatory located at the highest point on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus. Constructed in 1965, the observatory is a red brick building with a 16-inch Cassegrain reflector optical telescope. It is used for several community events.

History Originally, the observatory was home to a 20" telescope, given to the department by an avid amateur who lived in central Massachusetts. It was a ⁠1/10⁠ scale model (loosely) of a larger 200" scope. Eventually, a crack was spotted during one of the re-aluminizings of the 20" mirror, and the scope was decommissioned. In the meantime, the department had been granted money—associated with its move from Hasbrouck to the Graduate Research Tower—to buy a small telescope and install it on top of the GRC. The GRC had a small "isolation" pad built onto its roof, which was supposed to be a mount for the scope, accessible via a small open elevator. However, the GRC had terrible noise and gross vibration problems. The isolation pad never worked, and there were too many safety concerns about using the roof of the building for observing. A 16" telescope was later bought from Competition Associates, a racing car company. That scope arrived in 1976, but it was never mounted onto the roof of the GRC due to the aforementioned problems. Instead, it was stored in the basement of Hasbrouck for several years, becoming known as the "Subterranean Telescope". This situation finally led to the 20" being disassembled and the 16" scope being moved to Orchard Hill and installed in the dome before the fall of 1984, according to Andrew Cassidy, an astronomy undergraduate who was provided a copy of the keys for low-magnification observations. The 16" was a major improvement in usability. At present, the 20" may still be stored in the Astronomy Research Facility, but the drive was most likely not kept. Special thanks to Professor Thomas Arny for much of the recent history of the facility.

Hours The observatory does not currently have a regular schedule. It was regularly open for public viewing on Thursday nights until at least 2011. The Five College Astronomy Club, consisting of students belonging to the Five Colleges, utilizes the observatory to host observing nights on clear nights.

Administration The observatory does not receive any external funding. It is part of the College of Natural Sciences/Astronomy, maintained and operated by the UMass Astronomy Department and supported by members of the Five College Astronomy Club.

Observations It is possible to see a variety of astronomical bodies at the observatory. Members of the observatory keep a log online of what they have observed. Some things that have been logged are the double star Albireo, the Andromeda Galaxy, a dense patch of stars in the Milky Way near Cygnus, Jupiter with the Galilean moons, the waxing gibbous Moon, Mars, and Alcor and Mizar.

See also List of astronomical observatories List of radio telescopes

References

External links Orchard Hill Observatory Homepage

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Orchard Hill Observatory

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Orchard Hill Observatory claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Orchard Hill Observatory before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Orchard Hill Observatory ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Orchard Hill Observatory

In research: Orchard Hill Observatory appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Orchard Hill Observatory in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Orchard Hill Observatory is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Astronomical observatories in Massachusetts, Buildings and structures in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, University and college astronomical observatories, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Orchard Hill Observatory outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Orchard Hill Observatory in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Orchard Hill Observatory means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Orchard Hill Observatory out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Orchard Hill Observatory in simple terms?

Why does Orchard Hill Observatory matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Orchard Hill Observatory?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Orchard Hill Observatory.