The Student Support Center’s Student Success Support Section held the 9th Evening Seminar on December 19 in and outside Hisao & Hiroko Taki Plaza on Ookayama Campus, hosting an electronically assisted astronomy (EAA) observation session organized by Tokyo Tech’s peer life coaches — volunteer students affiliated with the Section. Twelve Tokyo Tech students from various years of study, including five international students, observed the skies using cameras and a technique called electronically assisted observing, allowing them to view celestial objects that are difficult to see in urban areas with the naked eye only.
Before taking the curious participants outdoors, alumni of the who now volunteer as peer life coaches provided a presentation on the basics of astronomy and tips on getting the most out of electronically assisted observing.
Participants at initial indoor session about astronomical observation
Learning about Orion Nebula
When the participants moved to the outdoor observation site, the night sky at Ookayama Campus was cloudless, offering a clear view of the Orion Constellation, the Orion Nebula, and other celestial wonders.
Participants outdoors searching for Orion Nebula
Participants listening closely to explanation of EAA observation
Faint celestial objects such as nebulae cannot be seen with the human eye when on Ookayama Campus due to urban light pollution. However, by combining a special filter that reduces the effects of this light pollution with an astronomy camera and EAA methods which process images in real time, it is possible to project onto a screen images of celestial objects that are otherwise difficult to see.
Using these methods, the participants were able to observe celestial objects while in the city, in addition to real-time images of the objects captured by the camera and projected onto a screen. Thanks to EAA image processing technology, they were also able to observe how the image noise was reduced and the celestial objects became clearer as time went by.
Orion Nebula projected on screen
This observation session was led by two peer life coaches, 4th-year Electrical and Electronic Engineering student Iori Kokubo and 4th-year Mechanical Engineering student Kazuki Hayashi. Shoichiro Fukunaga, a 3rd-year Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering student and alumnus of the Astronomy Club, also offered guidance during the setting up of equipment and the actual observation. These and other peer life coaches continue to introduce students to a variety of celestial objects that change with the seasons, and want to encourage Tokyo Tech members to experience more of what astronomical observation has to offer.
This event was made possible thanks to telescopes and other equipment borrowed from the Astronomy Club.
