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UF students can gaze at the stars from UF's own observatory.

To gaze upon the stars

By HARRISON DIAMOND

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A total eclipse

By LIDIA DINKOVA, Alligator Contributing Writer

As the clock hit exactly 10:01 p.m. on Feb. 20, UF students piled inside the UF Teaching Observatory, located on Museum Road across from the UF Bookstore, to observe the moon turn a dark red shade during the lunar eclipse. The Observatory was created so that astronomy students have a place on campus to conduct their night labs, but its popularity among the rest of UF students quickly grew, said Francisco Reyes, director of the Teaching Observatory. The Observatory also opens its doors to the public on Fridays.

Although the Teaching Observatory is not in an ideal location because of the "light-polluted sky," it remains on campus since its proximity and availability to students is its main asset, Reyes said.

"The only advantage is that it is close to the students and where they live," he said.

Astronomy students see the Teaching Observatory's advanced equipment as another advantage. Soung Yang, a doctoral student in the astronomy department, points to a 12-inch automated telescope as the biggest asset of the observatory.

"You just come in and type the target name. It searches through its database and points to the target by itself. You can easily find thousands of celestial objects very quickly," Yang said.

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