Summer Sand Program: NMSU Astro II 7/17

Today was one of the most exciting days of our program so far. Not only did we not have a problem set due today, we also took an all-day field trip to Apache Point Observatory and White Sands National Park. 

After an early breakfast, we hopped on the bus to drive over to Apache Point, which is operated by our host campus, NMSU. A few of us hit a quick power nap, while the rest watched us use each other as pillows. Sufficiently prepared for the cooler weather and high altitudes, we split up into groups to visit the different telescopes in the area. My group first climbed up to see the ARC 3.5m telescope. After going up two flights by heavy-duty computers and tanks of liquid nitrogen, we finally got to the telescope. From the spherical mirror twice my height to the rotating dome and the fantastic view, this was the highlight of APO. 

Before leaving APO, we also saw the SDSS 2.5m telescope, which is dedicated to spectroscopic redshift surveys. After a quick lunch, my group then took a short bus ride to the Sunspot Solar Observatory. The telescope, nearly 100m long, was built in the heart of a mountain and designed to observe phenomena on the Sun. Most interestingly, to align the telescope to the rotation of the Sun, the entire 350 ton observing platform is supported by over 450 liters of liquid mercury!

After regrouping at APO, we headed over to White Sands National Park. Along the way, we had a (way too) short stop at Walmart and a quick dinner at Wendy’s before we finally arrived in the desert. Who would have guessed – the sand was white! As someone who lives on the east coast, the desert was a big change of scenery. We walked over the dunes, wrote in the sand, sledded down the hills, and caught the sunset over the mountains.

After an extraordinary day, it has become clear that SSP is truly the experience of a lifetime. Moving into the fourth week, we are all excited to continue learning and having a great time.

-Dillan