Inside the "warm room" in the domed Observatory building

Explaining how the students sit at the controls of our computer "Spock", to control the CCD camera using SBIG software, and Losmandy Gemini II software to control the telescope's mount

"Sulu" is our auxiliary computer, which can control and informother aspects of the Observatory; weather conditions and forecasts, dome slit positioning...

I've covered the walls with framed photos from my Astro 8 and Astro 9ABC students

Outside, we used the 8SE telescope to GoTo planets Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus. Then on to the Orion Nebula, Bode's Galaxy, and the bright open star clusters of the winter sky

Last semester's Astro 9A students Will and Brad volunteered to demonstrate how our new Askar telescope and ZWO camera can be operated by laptop to produce outstanding deep sky images

A jet liner crossed over the nebula called Thor's Helmet making.... a different sort of unique photo. The set up can even be controlled with special apps on the iPhone; Will's iPhone shows the Orion Nebula after a 14 minute exposure.

Last semester, Will's outstanding Astro 9A project photo of the Veil Nebula in Cygnus, an ancient supernova remnant, was worthy of a grander mounting, which he brought tonight to show off.

Bernard, another Astro student, shows the Nina software and C2A on the monitor for "Spock"