Telescope a gift from Hopkins' anonymous donor

For students fortunate enough to know about it, the Maryland Space Grant Observatory (MSGO), located on the roof of the Bloomberg Center for Physics and Astronomy, is one of the hidden gems of the Johns Hopkins University's Homewood campus. What many don't know (and are surprised to find out) is that the Morris W. Offit Telescope - the centerpiece of the MSGO - was paid for by an anonymous donor, a fact that may seem strange to some current students.

In recent years, the phrase "anonymous donor" has taken on the status of a dirty word in the minds of many Hopkins students - and rightfully so. After all, the anonymous donor dumped his construction equipment on the Freshman Quad and left it there for a year, depriving the Class of 2004 of precious open space that seems to be disappearing quickly from campus. Then, during the summer months, the same entity caused another popular student hangout to be reduced in size so that the University's roads could be more aesthetically pleasing. And, as if his planned disturbances didn't annoy students enough, the anonymous donor's lack of foresight forced the displacement of Commencement from its rightful place on the Upper Quad, where it had been held for 40 straight years.

But in the past, "anonymous donor" was much more than a title to hide behind when making poor decisions without considering student opinion. An anonymous donor wasn't just someone whose construction projects take over a year longer than planned and whose brick pathways can't support the weight of vehicles. In fact, in the past our "anonymous donor" has made useful contributions - such as the funding for the Morris W. Offit telescope - that bailed the University out in times of dire need.

Eleven years ago, the MSGO was missing a crucial element - a telescope. The Observatory had been built with funding from the Maryland Space Grant Consortium (MSGC), established in 1989 as part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Space Grant program. An additional gift of $35,000 from Stanley D. and Joan F. Greenblatt allowed the construction of a dome atop the Observatory, but at that time the Consortium, which Hopkins serves as the lead institution of, did not have enough money to purchase a telescope.

However, a few months later, an anonymous donor contributed the $250,000 that Professor of Physics and Astronomy Richard Henry said "allowed [the University] to finish the Observatory structure and acquire the telescope."

Henry, who also serves as MSGC director, added that, before the University received the gift, it was unclear when the observatory would be finished or when a telescope would be obtained.

"There was a risk [taken] in creating an Observatory without clear indication of when, if ever, we would get a telescope," said Henry. "We took that risk, and only a few months later the anonymous donor appeared - we are grateful indeed."

The donor requested only that the half-meter telescope be named in honor of Morris W. Offitt, Class of 1957, who served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees before Michael Bloomberg.

Since then, the Observatory has been used for the purposes of education and public outreach; unlike many other facilities at Hopkins, it is not used for research. Graduate Assistant Marci Henderson said that, because city light interferes with the use of telescopes, this is not the ideal location for such equipment, so no "real research" is done using the Offitt telescope.

Henry explained that the Observatory was never intended to be used for research. Instead the MSGC chose to build the Observatory at the Homewood campus, despite the problems with lighting, because it felt that the location would allow a large number of people to use the equipment.

"When the Observatory was founded, a conscious decision was made to put it where it is, instead of, say, on some site 30 miles out of the city, where the sky would be darker. The reason was 'the greatest good for the greatest number,'" said Henry. "I have never regretted the decision, even though the lighting has, unfortunately, gotten worse over the years."

However, Henry said that the lighting, though worse than in the past, is not as much of a problem as it used to be. Modern equipment makes it possible to capture high quality images even with a large amount of "ambient light," according to Henry. And, three years ago, the original Morris W. Offitt telescope was moved to Apache Point, NM, to assist with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, so the Observatory got a newer telescope.

Thus, the Morris W. Offitt telescope is able to capture many interesting images. For example, Henry said that a globular cluster, which is "just a. smudge in good binoculars . is resolved into thousands of stars in the Morris W. Offitt telescope."

Since the Observatory's primary purposes are education and public outreach, there are many opportunities for students to use the Offitt telescope to view such images. Every Friday night that the sky is clear, the Observatory holds an Open House from dusk to around midnight. It is also open to the public on the first Tuesday of every month after the Open Night Lecture at the Space Technology Science Institute, which is adjacent to Bloomberg on the Homewood campus.

Students enrolled in the course "Stars and the Universe - Cosmic Evolution" also have a chance to observe the sky using the Offitt telescope. And any student who has completed a one-hour training on the use of the telescope can sign out the key to the Observatory.

Henderson, who is in charge of the training, suggested that students visit the Observatory in about a month, because Jupiter and Saturn will be visible. Henry, on the other hand, stressed that students should not wait for an excuse such as an astronomical "event" to visit the Observatory.

"The best advice to students is not to wait for some 'event' but to make a Friday evening visit to the Observatory a fairly regular part of their lives," said Henry. "Train yourself to look at the sky on Friday, and . when the sky is nice and clear . say, 'Maybe I'll drop in on Observatory this evening and see what's up.'"

But even if you don't make it out the Observatory in the next few months, remember that it's there. When your parents and relatives curse the anonymous donor for making them watch graduation on a television screen, remind them that he's done good things for the University in the past. Maybe you can even offer to take them to use the Offitt telescope - it won't make up for Commencement, but I bet a globular cluster looks pretty damn cool.

For more information on the Morris W. Offitt telescope, or for information about being trained to use the telescope, call Marci Henderson at 410-516-6275 or e-mail marcih@pha.jhu.edu.