An Eye Toward the Sky
Telescope at Rehoboth aids in the search for asteroids

Dr. Larry Molnar, an astronomy and physics professor at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., discusses how students in Michigan benefit from the computer-controlled telescope placed on the Rehoboth Christian School grounds. The Michigan college students can contol the telescope via computer. Molnar was in New Mexico last week working on the telescope. [Photo by Jeremy Schneider/Independent]

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Staff Writer

REHOBOTH — Gallup is known for many things, but scientific discoveries wouldn't make a top 10 list of area highlights.

Or probably even a top 100 list.

But perhaps in the not-so-distant future, some newly discovered asteroids will have names that make reference to their discovery from a telescope in Rehoboth.

Yes, that's right, Rehoboth.

Dr. Larry Molnar, a physics and astronomy professor at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., was in Rehoboth recently performing routine maintenance and upgrade work on the 16-inch Ritchey-Chretien telescope that is located in a small dome just south of the Rehoboth Christian School campus.

Since its installation by students from Calvin College and its inaugural operation in the spring of 2004, use of the telescope has led to the discovery of about 30 asteroids, said Molnar. The telescope, part of a twin robotic observatory system, is paired with a similar telescope at Calvin College. Science professors and students at Calvin control the Rehoboth observatory via a computer and an Internet connection.

"We have to do this to get good sky," said Molnar, who explained Rehoboth's rural location made it ideal for a remote controlled telescope. Grand Rapids, on the other hand, has interference from urban "light pollution."

"It's been a huge boon to our students,"said Molnar of the Rehoboth telescope. The twin robotic observatory system has allowed science students to discover entirely new solar system objects instead of merely studying old ones, he explained.

In addition, some of the telescope's images have been studied by Rehoboth High School students during the past school year.

Naming asteroids
According to Molnar, there is a database of more than 100,000 identified asteroids, most of which were discovered by professional astronomers. However, the use of Rehoboth's remote controlled telescope is providing Calvin students the opportunity to also make such discoveries.

Molnar said that 16 of the newly identified asteroids were discovered in a second semester physics class. Students made the discoveries while surveying "a chunk of the sky" over a five-week period of time. The experience was so interesting, the students wanted to repeat it, said Molnar, who added it was the first time he has ever had students want to do a class homework assignment again.

None of the newly discovered asteroids have been named yet. However, one thing is certain: none will be named John, Paul, George, or Ringo. Those names are already taken.

Naming an asteroid involves much more than just discovering it and thinking up a name that hasn't been taken by one of the other 100,000 asteroids, Molnar said. Among the numerous rules, the asteroid's orbit must be well enough known that the asteroid has been located in four different encounters. After the initial discovery, explained Molnar, "The test is whether you can find it again."

Unlike comets, asteroids can't be named after their discoverer. And to help insure they are named after honorable individuals, they can't be named after living politicians. Although the International Astronomical Union allows a "wide latitude" in the naming of asteroids, Molnar said the organization has the final say over names.

Importance of study
According to Molnar, there are three important uses for studying asteroids. The first, he said, is the basic educational value of studying them and understanding their orbits. "Can you understand the laws of physics to find them again in the future?"is a key question, he said.

Secondly, studying asteroids helps scientists understand the history of the solar system. For example, Molnar said studying asteroids has helped scientists develop a theory about the inward migration of Jupiter's orbit toward the sun.

The third use is related to a subject that has captured the general public's imagination the idea that an asteroid might eventually collide with Earth. The United States federal government spends money surveying and tracking "near Earth objects" of a certain size that might pose a hazard to our planet, said Molnar.

In addition, he said, there is scientific speculation as to how humans can eventually divert or slightly nudge such an object, causing it to avoid hitting the Earth. Molnar believes scientists may do that on an experimental basis to prove that it can be done.

Although an asteroid hitting Earth in the future is possible, Molnar said the small size of Earth, compared to the vast size of asteroids' orbits, would make that a rare occurrence.

"They're rare events, so I don't keep up late at night worrying about it," he joked.

Wave of the future
The Rehoboth telescope and dome were installed from a kit using off-the-shelf commercially available products, said Molnar, and were assembled by a group of Calvin students in a week. Just 10 years ago, such a setup with this kind of equipment would have cost $1 million, he explained.

The National Science Foundation provided a $130,000 grant to Calvin College so that the Calvin-Rehoboth Robotic Observatory could be a model for other small colleges with limited budgets and locations hampered by light pollution. Calvin College provided matching funds for the project.

Molnar said this system of having remote access to a robotic telescope is the wave of the future for astronomy. Arizona and New Mexico already have a couple of sites that are becoming "telescope farms" for a number of different institutions, he said. The sites feature a big concrete slab that can support 10 to 20 small domes, he explained, and each dome has a telescope, electrical wiring, and an Internet connection that connects the telescope to its sponsoring institution.

Molnar is pleased he has only had to return to Rehoboth once a year to perform maintenance work on the equipment. "The biggest news is that it's operated the way I expected it to," he said. Other than a few minor glitches, the Rehoboth telescope has worked almost perfectly.

Calvin College students have created a Web site that features images from the Rehoboth telescope. To view those images or to learn more about Calvin's astronomy program, visit the website at www.calvin.edu/observatory.