Dean Kousiounelos ’24
Staff Writer
kousiounelosdm@lfc.edu
A peer of mine, when asked if they would be interested in viewing the sun, replied to the question by exclaiming that they would not comply in freely burning their retina. To erase the belief that I would have them look directly at the sun, I eagerly relayed that Lake Forest College Astronomy Club was going to have a solar viewing through telescopes.
The telescopes, of course, had a filter to keep all retinas safe. On an extraordinarily sunny day, with telescopes and assistance provided by the Lake Forest College physics department and the Astronomy Club, the event took place sparking the interest of many students. In the span of two hours, over 120 students came to observe the sun using three different telescopes. These three telescopes each showed the sun in a different manner.
One, a reflector shined an image of the sun onto a plate showing its shape and sunspots. Two, a reflector with a large filter allowed students to look through the eyepiece at the sun and see its curvature; again sunspots were visible. Lastly, an extremely high-quality instrument, the Coronado solar telescope, revealed to students the irregularities of the sun’s surface and solar flares, putting the sun in arm’s reach—where its secrets could be revealed to anyone willing to look through the eyepiece.
Present among the 120 observers were Dale Dellutri, of the Skokie Valley Astronomers, and Frances P. Dellutri, Director of Education for the National Space Society (NSS). This event could not have been done without the help of Dr. Michael Kash, Dr. Veronika Walkosz, Dr. Nathan Mueggenberg, and the Lake Forest College Astronomy Executive Board.
Thank you in addition to everyone who looked through the eyepiece, it is with all your support that events like this can happen, and future events can take place. The greater your curiosity, the greater we can dream together.
Make sure to give us a follow on Instagram @lfc_astro for future updates and email kousiounelosdm@lakeforest.edu to join!
