Hartzel Gillespie awarded 2015 SPS Travel Award

About the Recipient

Zone and Chapter: Randolph College

Project

Project Name: Randolph College’s Astronomical Research Ensemble
Project Abstract: At small liberal arts colleges, where major astronomical research facilities are often unavailable, it is often difficult to make contributions to modern astronomy. However, using Randolph College’s modern observatory along with a research grant from the College, I’ve been able to perform research on asteroid occultations, stellar spectroscopy, and exoplanet transits. I have observed two positive asteroid occultation events, which happen when an asteroid passes between a star and an observer, blocking the star’s light. Preliminary spectroscopy results show that a DSLR camera and a 100 line/mm diffraction grating reveal clear hydrogen Balmer lines in the spectra of type A stars, and further research will attempt to measure rotational velocities of shell stars, primarily of type Be. A DSLR alone is sensitive enough to record the light curves of some exoplanet transits such as the HD189733b transits.

Project References:

Sponsored by Peter Sheldon