When the sky darkens over Seward, Concordia University’s Osten Observatory comes to life for all.
Reuben Osten, a 1933 alumnus, loved astronomy. He donated funds for the telescope and the building it rests in to Concordia University about 25 years ago.
Professor of Astronomy Robert Hermann was excited to learn of the donation and did much of the research on the best observatory to purchase and its installation. It was dedicated in 2002.
The observatory, located on East Hillcrest Drive, houses a reflecting, 16-inch computer-controlled telescope with solar system and deep space cameras that capture details of Earth’s moon, Jupiter and its moons, a cluster of several thousand stars and the Great Orion Nebula, which is a region where new stars are forming.
When the sky is dark enough, the Whirlpool Galaxy may also be visible.
“I’ve been with the telescope since the beginning, and for me, I love looking through it,” Hermann said. “I always stay for a few minutes after everybody else is gone and just get some quiet time to look at those objects myself. I love doing that.”
Students in physics, physical science and astronomy classes get to look through the telescope, and some upper-level physics students use it for their research projects.
The observatory is on the northeast corner of Concordia University's campus, which Hermann said is an ideal location. It is near the edge of town, so it is easy to access but also in a fairly dark area and therefore conducive to viewing.
About 10-40 people of all ages typically come to the public shows. Hermann said they typically cycle through three or four objects each night, and everyone gets to view all of them.
“We’re always excited when Dr. Hermann opens the observatory, because we’re able to actually get somebody to help us find things in the sky and learn about them,” said Vicki Anderson of Seward. “He actually explains things about what we’re seeing and stuff like that. He’s very knowledgeable.”
Typically, about 80-90% of attendees have never looked through a large telescope before, Hermann said. The celestial objects look the same through the telescope as they do in photos, but something about seeing them in person makes everything feel even more real.
“There’s something different and really special about being able to see some of these things with your own eyes,” Hermann said. “When you look through the telescope and you see craters and mountains on the moon right with your own eyes, there’s something different about that than seeing a picture of it, or of Saturn.”
Hermann said the telescope is not quite research-grade but can be used for very high-quality observations. It has a motor that tracks the motion of the object the user observes, so users can get a clear image of it for an extended period of time.
After more than 20 years of use on campus, the observatory began to show signs of aging. A motor that opens part of the dome failed around spring of last year, and Hermann could not order a new one at the time. People could still open the dome manually, but it did not shut correctly one night and the wind broke part of it. In order to protect it, he had to seal the dome for about a year and a half.
Last summer, he was able to repair the motor. Then, he and Cocordia’s building and grounds department fixed the part of the dome that broke.
Hermann said it was frustrating not to be able to use the observatory for his classes, so he was happy to get it reopened this past August.
Now, he once again leads the shows and happily informs attendees about the history of the telescope, gives them a look into astronomy and answers their questions.
“Dr. Hermann likes to point out different nebulae, which are where a star has exploded and there’s gases,” Anderson said. “With the naked eye, you can't really see them very much, but with the telescope, you realize there’s a gassy cloud up there.”
Although she is a Concordia professor of education, Anderson is fascinated by astronomy and space and often visits the observatory’s public viewings with her family. She said the viewings are also great learning opportunities for her children.
“It really is a treasure,” she said. “We have these great resources here, so come take advantage of it. It really is for the whole community, not just for the campus. It’s for the whole community, and that’s how the donor intended it to be.”
“Probably the most exciting thing for me is just hearing those gasps of amazement when people see these objects for the first time,” Hermann said. “Even after almost 25 years of doing these sorts of shows, that’s still really gratifying to me. I just love introducing people to the world of astronomy and the universe that they live in.”
