University Daily Kansan Thursday, May 8, 1958
STAR GAZER—Dr. Henry Horak stands by the large telescope in KU's observatory.
KU Observatory Makes Space Real
On nights when the sky is filled with stars you can be sure that there is activity on the fifth floor of Lindley Hall. For up there is the University's observatory where the telescope becomes a fascinating piece of equipment and space becomes something real and near.
The 27-inch reflector telescope is mounted on a 15-ton pier in the rotating dome. It has a focal length of 150 inches. The telescope came out of storage after the war years and was mounted in its present location in 1952, and work is still being done to improve it all the time.
Alterations Necessary
"From time to time alterations have to be made on the equipment, which is the usual case in all research work," said Henry Horak, associate professor of astronomy.
The observatory is now equipped to do three things. It can photograph, measure the intensity of light with a photometer, and spread the light from a star out into rainbow form in the spectrograph. These three special pieces of equipment were added after the telescope was set up.
Actually, the original intent of the whole telescope was to photograph asteroids. The plate holder for taking pictures is put in place of the eye piece and the picture is taken by time exposure.
Mirror Four Inches Thick
Mirror Four Inches Thick
The mirror of the telescope is four inches thick and 27 inches in diameter. Dr. Horak estimates that it would cost from $15,000-$20,000 to replace the mirror alone.
Don't Worry-Fees Haven't Increased
If you're one of those poor souls who had to stand on his head to get fee money last year, there's at least one consolation.
Fees won't be any higher next year.
Raymond F. Nichols, executive secretary to the chancellor, said Wednesday the administration "doesn't see any reason to plan any increase."
Mr. Nichols said neither the Kansas Legislature nor the Board of Regents had made any requests or suggestions toward raising tuition next year, and the administration plans no raise.
Fees last year were raised to $103,
a $12.50 raise from 1956-57.
A similar structure next to the big dome houses a smaller telescope that is called a six-inch refractor. This is used by visitors during open house which the observatory holds when something especially interesting is going on in the sky.
Nearly two years ago when Mars was close to the earth, 35 million miles away, there were people lined up in a double row from the door of Lindley to the observatory on fifth floor to see the event. Dr. Horak recalled.
"The amount of observational work is always hampered by atmospheric conditions," Dr. Horak said. "Therefore a large part of the astronomer's time is spent in theoretical work."
Both Dr. Horak and Dr. N. W. Storer, associate professor of astronomy, saw the Russian Sputnik several times.
An Atomic Energy Commission contract with Dr. Paul W. Gilles, associate professor of chemistry, for high temperature research has been extended for a year for $60,000.
AEC Extends Research Aid
The contract began in 1950. The study is fundamental research with addition of knowledge and training of scientists in the field of high temperatures as goals.
Three graduate students who assisted Dr. Gilles on the contract work last year are working at atomic energy installations on high temperature research. They are K. Douglas Carlson, Redlands, Calif.; E. David Cater, San Antonio, Tex; and James M. Leitaker, Baldwin.
This year's replacement of the honors convocation, a special section in The Daily Kansan, will be part of Wednesday's edition of the paper.
Honors Section To Be In Kansan
Dr. Gilles and his assistants are studying the processes that occur when oxides, borides and carbides evaporate. The elements whose high temperature behavior is being studied are titanium, zirconium, tungsten and tentalum-elements which have potential use in high temperature nuclear reactor systems.
Tom Yoe, director of public relations, said Wednesday that extra copies of the honors supplement would be printed for mailing to all Kansas high schools.
One phase of the project, a study of the evaporation properties of boron carbide, was completed last year.
Honor societies whose members will be listed in the special section are Phi Beta Kappa, liberal arts and sciences; Alpha Omega Alpha, medicine; Beta Gamma Sigma, business; Delta Phi Alpha, German; Omicron Nu, home economics; Order of the Coif, law; Phi Alpha Theta, history; Phi Lambda Upsilon, chemistry.
Rho Chi, pharmacy; Sigma Delta Pi, Spanish; Sigma Xi, science; Tau Beta Pi, engineering; Tau Sigma DeltaPi, architecture; Pi Delta Phi, French; Pi Kappa Lambda music; Pi Lambda Theta, women in education; Pi Mu Epsilon, mathematics; Pi Sigma Alpha, political science.
Try Kansan Want Ads, Get Results
Gaylord Teftt, Lawrence junior, won the best-of-year trophy in The Daily Kansan photo contest for his black and white photograph titled "Leau."
Junior Wins First Place In Kansan Photo Contest
Cortestants for the best-of-show award were best-of-show award winners in each of the four photo contests held during the year.
The other winners receiving certificates are John Lang, Arkansas Citv junior, second; Lou Hoell, Kansas City, Kan. senior, second; Dale Brown, Mission senior, third.
Judges for the best-of-year contest were Harry Wright, director of the KU Photographic Bureau. Leonard Bacon, Lawrence Journal-World photographer, and Duke D'Ambra, manager of a local camera shop.
Pharmacy Papers Presented
Four members of the Kansas University School of Pharmacy faculty presented papers last week to the annual meeting of the American Pharmaceutical Association and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy in Los Angeles. They were Dean J. Allen Reese, and Drs. Joseph H. Burkhalter, Duane G. Wenzel and Raymond Hopponen.
Winning photographs and slides from the last photo contest will be on display in the William Allen White Reading Room, 104 Flint Hall, until Friday.
John Ise Will Speak At Pharmacy Fete
John Ise, professor emeritus of economics, will be guest speaker at the annual School of Pharmacy banquet given by the school's junior class in honor of the graduating seniors.
the banquet will be at 6:30 p.m.
Friday in the Kansas Room of the
Kansas Union, Winners of scholastic
awards in pharmacy will be
announced, said John Coyle, Atchison
senior.
Toastmaster will be Robert
Thornburgh Nortonville junior.
Whereas life expectancy was 22 years in the time of Caesar and 33 years during the Middle Ages, the average person in the United States today can expect to live almost 70 years.
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