Lick Observatory Volunteer Orientation Packet

Elinor Gates with contributions from Lotus Baker, Ron Bricmont, Paul Lynam, Patricia Madison, Rem Stone, John Wareham, and Lick Observatory Volunteers May 15, 2018

Contents

1 When to Arrive 2

2 Evening Schedules 3 2.1 ScheduleofTelescopeObjects ...... 3 2.2 EveningwiththeStarsNights ...... 4 2.3 MusicoftheSpheresNights ...... 5

3 Nightly Assignments 5

4 Telescope Traﬃc Flow 7 4.1 36”Refractor ...... 7 4.2 40”Reﬂector ...... 9 4.3 Other ...... 10

5 Observatory and Telescope Facts 10 5.1 General ...... 10 5.2 36”Refractor ...... 11 5.3 40”Reﬂector ...... 12 5.4 OtherSourcesofInformation ...... 13

6 Frequently Asked Questions 13

7 How Do Telescopes Work? 14

8 What’s New at Lick Observatory? 14

9 Interacting with the Public 16

1 10 Safety and Emergencies 19 10.1General ...... 19 10.2911Emergencies ...... 19 10.3LaserPointers...... 20

11 Fundraisers 20 11.1 VisitorCenterServices ...... 20

12 Volunteer Orientation and Appreciation Nights 20

13 Other Volunteer Opportunities at Lick Observatory 21 13.1 ExpandedVisitorServices ...... 21 13.2 HistoricalCollections ...... 21 13.3Other ...... 21

1 When to Arrive

It takes one hour to drive to Lick Observatory from downtown San Jose without traﬃc problems, please plan accordingly. Table 1 lists the arrival times for the summer 2018 programs (1 hour before doors open to the public, 2 hours before the programs begin). The volunteer group organizational meeting will be 1/2 hour before the doors open. More information is available at http://www.hallsvalley.org/lickvolunteers/.

Table 1: Arrival Times for 2018 Date Program Arrival Time Doors Open Saturday June 2 Orientation Night 6:00pm N/A Friday June 8 EwS 6:30pm 7:30pm Saturday June 9 MoS 6:30pm 7:30pm Friday June 22 EwS 6:30pm 7:30pm Saturday June 23 MoS 6:30pm 7:30pm Friday July 6 EwS 6:30pm 7:30pm Saturday July 7 MoS 6:30pm 7:30pm Friday July 20 EwS 6:30pm 7:30pm Saturday July 21 MoS 6:30pm 7:30pm Friday August 3 EwS 6:30pm 7:30pm Saturday August 4 MoS 6:30pm 7:30pm Friday August 17 EwS 6:00pm 7:00pm Saturday August 18 MoS 6:00pm 7:00pm Saturday September 15 Appreciation Night 7:00pm 5:00pm for tour EwS = Evening with the Stars MoS = Music of the Spheres

Please note that all events are rain or shine! We need your help even if it is foggy or raining. Plan to bring a red ﬂashlight and warm clothing with you.

2 If for some reason you are unable to arrive at the Observatory on time and it is after Noon on the event day, please contact the Lick Gift Shop (408-274-5061) letting them know your expected arrival time. If you must cancel but can give more notice, please contact [email protected] and the volunteer coordinator Patricia Madison ([email protected]). Box meals for volunteers will be available. Go to http://www.hallsvalley.org/lickvolunteers/ and click on Box Meal Ordering to select your meal(s). Parking is very limited at the Observatory, so car pool as much as possible. Please park in the small lot near the maintenance shop. Outside volunteers with telescopes may park behind the Main Building where the telescopes will be. Refer to http://www.hallsvalley.org/lickvolunteers/ and scroll down to Volunteer Parking for details. All volunteers must fill out a volunteer form so they are covered by the University of California workman’s compensation in case of injury, etc. Typically the form will be dated such that you are covered for your volunteer activities for the full year (June to May), so that you need to fill it out only once per year. If you did not fill out a volunteer form during the Volunteer Orientation Night, you will have to fill one out when you arrive at Lick on the first night you volunteer. Remember, we want you to enjoy the events and being a volunteer, but don’t forget that the primary purpose is to enhance the experience of the public attending these events. If you wish to bring a guest with you, it must be approved by the Volunteer Coordinator, Patricia Madison ([email protected]), or her designee, in advance. Very limited spots are available during the summer for guests and we have many volunteers. In addition, do not let your guests distract you from your primary purpose of providing the best possible experience for the public. Guests may be asked to help volunteer for some of the night’s program (and also fill out the volunteer form and wear a guest badge for the evening). They will need to provide their own food/dinner and if they are not driving up with you, they should park near the school. On concert nights, there will be no unpaid guests. Guests should be over 8 years of age and must be coming up with a working volunteer.

2 Evening Schedules

We’ve created a short description of what happens during the concerts (Music of the Spheres) and viewing program nights (Evening with the Stars). Many of you will already be familiar with this, but we hope it will be a good review and guide for the new volunteers. Things may not go exactly as planned, so ﬂexibility in dealing with unexpected problems, changes in schedules, bad weather, etc. is expected.

2.1 Schedule of Telescope Objects Table 2 lists the planned schedule of objects to be viewed through the 40” Nickel Reflector this summer. Specific targets for the 36” are not going to be selected this year due to the elevating floor not being in a safe operable state, which makes pointing the telescope and viewing through it more challenging. 36” objects will generally be globular clusters and binary stars, as viewing conditions permit. It is helpful if you look up some information on

3 the object or type of object in advance so you can be better informed when speaking with the public. There is always a chance that weather conditions or mechanical problems will require looking at brighter or diﬀerent objects. Also, if targets of opportunity appear, such as comets, then the program object may change.

Table 2: 2018 Objects Date 40” Reﬂector Jun 8/9 Jupiter Jun 22/23 Jupiter Jul 6/7 NGC 6210 Turtle Nebula Jul 20/21 Saturn Aug3/4 Saturn Aug 17/18 NGC 6563 Cat’s Eye Nebula

2.2 Evening with the Stars Nights The typical Evening with the Stars (EwS) night starts with the volunteers and Observatory staﬀ signing in and eating dinner together at the Main Building/Visitor Center, followed by the volunteer organizing meeting to discuss the jobs and schedule for the evening. The meeting will start promptly a half hour before the doors open to the public in either the courtyard or lecture hall, depending on weather. When the public arrives, we collect their tickets and hand out programs, numbered telescope passes for observing at the 36” Refractor and the 40” Reﬂector, and a voucher for a tote bag souvenir. Both telescope domes are open so visitors can get a good daylight view of the telescopes and take pictures before the programs begin. The evening’s program begins with lectures; a science lecture in the lecture hall and a history lecture in the 36” dome. After the history lecture the chairs are moved out of the 36” dome and stacked on the dolly in the hallway. The 36” telescope is then set up for public observing. Observing begins through both the 36” and 40” telescopes. Groups of 10 are taken through the 36” dome and groups of 10 or fewer through the 40” control room (if in use) and dome. As a general rule, it will take about a minute per person to look through the telescope. However, it may take longer per person at the 36” due to using the tall ladder to access the eyepiece. While observing is going on, both the science and history lectures are repeated in the lecture hall. This keeps everyone busy while waiting for their chance to look through the telescopes. The telescopes will stay open until everyone has had a chance to look through them. During the entire evening, volunteers have telescopes set up outside for public viewing. After the public viewing and lectures are completed, we expect the volunteers to assist in putting the chairs away and any other tasks that need to be done after the public leaves, such as cleaning up the refreshment table area, taking out the trash, etc. Once everything

4 is packed up and all the tasks are done, the volunteers will be treated to an extra object (weather permitting) through either the 36” Refractor or 40” Reﬂector. Please remember to sign out and return your name badge at the end of the evening.

2.3 Music of the Spheres Nights The typical Music of the Spheres (MoS) concert night starts with the volunteers and Observatory staff signing in and eating dinner together at the Main Building/Visitor Center, followed by the volunteer organizing meeting to discuss the jobs and schedule for the evening. The meeting will start promptly a half hour before the doors open to the public in either the courtyard or lecture hall, depending on weather. After the main doors to the building open, we collect the visitors’ tickets, hand out programs, give out numbered passes for nighttime viewing through the 36” Refractor and 40” Reflector, and a voucher for a souvenir mug or wine glass. The 36” Refractor and 40” Reflector domes will be open for daytime views of the telescope before the concert begins. The concerts take place in the Great Hall of the Main Building of the Observatory. The foyer and first two (or more if necessary) rows of seats are reserved for visitors who purchased VIP, Preferred, or FoLO tickets for the concert. After the concert, the chairs in the hallway are folded and stacked out of the way and the 36” Refractor and 40” Reflector are set up for nighttime viewing. Observing begins through both the 36” and 40” telescopes. Groups of 10 are taken through the 36” dome and groups of 10 or fewer through the 40” control room (if in use) and dome. As a general rule, it takes about a minute per person to look through the telescope. However, it may take longer per person at the 36” due to the use of the tall ladder to access the eyepiece. At the same time a science lecture will be given (twice each evening) in the lecture hall. The telescopes will remain open until everyone has had a chance to look through them. During the entire evening, volunteers have telescopes set up outside for public viewing. After the public viewing and lectures are completed, we expect the volunteers to assist in putting the chairs away and any other tasks that need to be done after the public leaves, such as cleaning up the refreshment table area, taking out the trash, taking down the stage, putting away boxes of mugs and wine glasses, etc. Once everything is packed up and all the tasks are done, the volunteers will be treated to an extra object through (weather permitting) the 36” Refractor or 40” Reflector. Please remember to sign out and return your name badge at the end of the evening.

3 Nightly Assignments

There are a variety of tasks and jobs for the MoS and EwS nights. Below we’ve attempted to list them all along with short descriptions of the responsibilities. You will most likely be asked to do a number of these jobs during the evening, so ﬂexibility is a must. Note that inside volunteers will have at least two diﬀerent jobs during the evening, one when the doors open and another when telescope viewing begins. Most positions will rotate

5 during the evening, so you will get to do a variety of jobs. The wine glass/cup distribution stand, tote bag distribution stand, refreshment stand, and lecture videographers are non- rotating positions. Outside volunteers are usually expected to just operate their telescopes during the evening and take care of patron’s and their equipment’s safety. Please remember that when you volunteer you are representing Lick Observatory and the University of California. We expect professional and courteous conduct when interacting with the public, Observatory staff, and your fellow volunteers. While dress is casual for these events, please make sure what you are wearing is neat and respectful (please no jeans with holes or t-shirts with what might be interpreted by some as offensive language or graphics, etc.). Volunteers should follow the directions and rules given them by Observatory staff. Ticket Takers, Program Givers - Collect tickets at the entrance to the Observatory, distribute programs, telescope passes, and vouchers for tote bags or mugs/wine glasses. This includes making sure VIP guests on concert nights get the lowest numbered passes, Preferred guests have the next lowest numbers, and that Friends of Lick Observatory Galaxy level and higher members get the next lowest numbers. If a VIP or Preferred guest is also a Galaxy+ member, give them the lowest number they are entitled to. Telescope Pass Takers - Collect numbered passes at the bottom of the stairs for the 36” and 40” telescopes. Groups of 10 people go through each of the telescopes. Call pass numbers in the following manner until you have a group of 10: numbers 10 and below, then 20 and below, etc. Do Not take passes early or make a line of people. Problems occur when you do not call numbers and a low number person comes up and does not get into the telescope (thus defeating the purpose of arriving early or paying for a VIP or Preferred ticket or being a member of the Friends of Lick Observatory Galaxy level or above). Please make sure you click the counter for each member that goes up the stairs or enters the dome through the lower door. Please do not re-zero the count during the night, as this number is written down at the end of the evening. Information People - People on hand to answer questions, direct people to the telescopes, lecture hall, bathrooms, etc. Informally called ”Scarecrows” by the staff and volunteer coordinators. Lecture Announcer - Announce that the next lecture will begin in a few minutes and make sure people inside and outside know about it. Also let the lecturer know when he/she can start. Usually this is the observatory staff member acting as host for the evening. Lecture Videographer - Responsible for videoing the science lectures, setting up and taking down the video equipment and microphones, and configuring the SlidesLive software on the presenter’s computer. Concert Announcer (concert nights only) - Announce to visitors inside and outside that the concert will begin in a few minutes and that they should be seated. Concert Ushers (concert nights only) - Help visitors find seats before the concert and during breaks in the concert program. Sandwich Pick Up - Sandwiches for the volunteers (all event nights) and VIP buffet food (concerts only) need to be picked up from San Jose. The volunteer who does this job will be contacted in advance with information on when and where to get the meals and will have to arrive earlier than the rest of the volunteers. Parking Helpers - Depending on the parking situation, a few volunteers may be needed to help with parking. Our parking lot is small, so we sometimes need help to use the space

6 as efficiently as possible. Video Monitor - Make sure the video room is displaying the lecture if a presentation is in progress in the Lecture Hall. Telescope Ushers - Direct groups up the stairs and into the telescope domes. The 36” has ushers at the base of the stairs, on the floor to help guests go from the inside stairs to the dome floor and telescope, and at the bottom of the dome stairs to usher people out. The 40” has ushers at the bottom of the stairs and the top of the stairs. Telescope ushers must have red flashlights. Please bring your own if you have one. Lick has some red flashlights available that you may borrow, but return them at the end of the evening. Telescope Operators - The 36” and 40” will be operated by Observatory staff and specially trained volunteers. Solar Telescope Operators - Trained volunteers can operate the Observatory’s Coronado SolarMax II telescope for the public before sunset. Telescope Volunteers - A few amateurs sign up to bring their own telescopes to share with the public (particularly useful if the evening is too humid for the Observatory telescopes or the evening is mostly cloudy). Volunteers setting up telescopes should park on the east side of the Main Building next to their telescopes, in the designated parking spaces, unless you are the volunteer who will set up on the west side of the Main Building near the front door. Break Person - This individual will periodically check on volunteers to see if anyone needs a short break (to use the restroom, get something out of their car, etc). Please keep breaks short so that the break person can relieve others as needed during the evening. Refreshment Vendors - Volunteers will be needed to sell the snacks, lemonade, coffee, etc. at the refreshment stand. Proceeds from the sale of refreshments go to the visitor programs. Mug and Wine Glass Distributors (concert nights only) - Patrons on concert nights can pick a mug or wine glass after presenting their voucher at the cup/wineglass table. A volunteer will distribute the items as well as collect the voucher. Tote Bag Distributor (Evening with the Stars nights only) - Patrons on Evening with the Stars nights will get a voucher for a tote bag souvenir. A volunteer will distribute the bags in the gift shop after collecting the voucher.

4 Telescope Traﬃc Flow

Moving visitors through the tight spaces of the domes and stairwells in an eﬃcient and safe manner can be diﬃcult. The following is the procedure for moving our guests around quickly and safely.

4.1 36” Refractor NOTE: The telescope traffic flow for the 36” Refractor is changed due to our not being allowed to move the elevating floor up and down. This also means that people will be unable to directly view James Lick’s tomb underneath the floor.

7 Passes are collected by the Telescope Pass Taker (groups of 10 please, a couple extra is occasionally OK to keep from splitting up a family group). People with the lowest numbered passes get to go to the telescope first. Please announce numbers in the following manner: ”Numbers 10 and under, 20 and under,” etc. until you get a group of 10 to send into the dome. VIP ticket holders will have the lowest numbered tickets on concert nights, with Preferred and Friends of Lick Observatory members at the Galaxy level and above having the next lowest numbers. The group is first led into the dome by Dome Floor volunteer #1 via the lower door to have a seat on the chairs set up on the dome floor to begin dark adaptation. This volunteer should highlight the steps up to the dome floor to make sure no one trips on those higher than normal steps. This volunteer should also take care that the door to the dome is closed after the group has entered. When the previous group is finished, Dome Floor volunteer #2 leads them to the telescope to await their turn to view through the telescope. Dome Floor volunteer #1 is then responsible for informing the telescope pass taker that a new group may enter the dome. This volunteer should also take care that the door to the dome is closed after the group has entered and may talk to the visitors about viewing through the telescope, answering questions etc. while they are seated. Dome Floor volunteer #2 directs the patrons towards the telescope as appropriate and assists them as needed while they wait to view through the telescope. Visitors then look through the telescope. After they are finished looking through the telescope, send them off the floor towards the exit. The Tomb volunteer stands at the bottom of the stairs and has the following responsibilities: Make sure that people make it down the stairs safely, lighting stair steps as needed and direct visitors to exit through the bottom door. At such time as we are allowed to elevate the 36” floor, this volunteer would also remind patrons to look at James Lick’s tomb underneath the floor. For those volunteers inside the dome, when assessing how many people are waiting or on the floor, please be sure to not shine your flashlight into the eyes of those waiting to view or the telescope operator, as that will ruin their dark adaption. We ask that the person collecting telescope passes at the bottom of the stairs advise visitors that no open containers of liquid are allowed in the dome (bottled water/beverages are OK as long as they can be capped) and suggest to visitors to take paper bags from the gift shop, or other large bags/backpacks, back to their cars or have them write their name on the bag so they can leave it and pick it up after viewing. Large bags are an encumbrance in the stairways, on the step ladder, and when getting on and off the 36” floor, and it is safer without them. The usher on the dome floor (dome floor volunteer #2) will have a counter to count people as they leave the floor after viewing. This volunteer lets dome floor volunteer #1 know when the next group can enter the ddome. This person also starts the volunteer position rotation after a specified number of visitors have exited the floor (as determined by Ron Bricmont or his designee). When initiating the position rotation, please hand the counter to Ron (or his designee) before heading down to the Tomb position. Finally, when rotating between volunteer positions in the dome, do so as quickly as possible (this is not the time to take a 5 minute break to use the restroom, please wait until

8 the designated break person comes to you. If you can’t wait, inform those in the neighboring positions that you have to go and they will do their best to cover for you in the interim. Please return as promptly as possible.). Handicapped Access - Sadly, due to lack of motion of the elevating floor, wheelchair access to the telescope is impossible. Getting to the eyepiece will require climbing at least a few steps. With effort we can install the wheelchair ramp so that they can get access to the main dome floor. We, as staff and volunteer, for safety and liability reasons, can not lift people in wheelchairs onto the 36” floor (though their friends and family members are welcome to do it if they think they can do so safely without the wheelchair ramp).

4.2 40” Reflector Passes are collected by the telescope pass taker (groups of 10 or fewer as there is very little room at the top of the stairs and in the control room). Calling ticket numbers is the same as described above for the 36” Refractor. The group is directed up the stairs to the 40” control room (or the landing if we don’t have a staff member or graduate student available to staff the control room). Once the previous group is done viewing through the 40” telescope, the next group is directed into the 40” dome. After they are done, the group is directed back downstairs. The usher at the landing is responsible for telling the person at the base of the stairs when the next group should come up. If there are enough volunteers, there will be an eyepiece helper. This position’s purpose is to make sure the eyepiece is always in use while the telescope operator talks to the visitors. The helper stands by the eyepiece with a red flashlight and points out where the eyepiece is and watches to make sure that they are looking through the eyepiece properly (e.g. not at the wrong angle - looking through an eyepiece is a learned skill). After the visitor is done looking, the helper will direct him/her where to move in the dome. Talking to the viewer should be kept quiet and to a minimum because the visitor will listen and not look at the object and the acoustics in the dome make it difficult for both the telescope operator and the eyepiece helper to hold separate conversations. The telescope operator, rather than the eyepiece helper, will be doing most of the talking to the group. The eyepiece helper or telescope operator will let the Nickel control room volunteer (or mezzanine usher if the control room in not manned) know when the next group can come up into the dome. The Nickel control room volunteer (or mezzanine usher) also informs the telescope pass taker when to send up the next group. The telescope pass taker will use a counter to count the number of people going up the stairs. This volunteer also initiates the position rotation after a specified number of visitors have gone up the stairs by letting the usher on the mezzanine know so he/she can go up with the next group into the telescope dome. The eyepece volunteer then comes down stairs to take telescope passes. Rotation is done while a group is heading down the stairs to prevent traffic jams and unsafe conditions on the narrow stairway. There is no handicapped access to the 40” telescope, though there is an elevator to the 40” control room. Some handicapped patrons take the elevator to the control room level and are willing to be carried up to the telescope by their friends or family (not by volunteers due to liability and safety reasons), though they may not be able to reach the eyepiece if they are wheelchair bound or unable to climb the step ladder. No key is necessary to operate the

9 elevator from the second floor, so a volunteer can bring the elevator down to the first floor for patrons requiring the elevator.

4.3 Other While we like to have everyone go through the telescopes according to their numbered telescope passes, it is sometimes necessary to make exceptions to the policy. For example, disabled patrons may be encouraged to enter the 36” dome at a time best suited for their mobility needs and our schedule, so that they don’t have to negotiate as many steps on the observing ladder. Please note children under 8 years of age are not permitted at these programs. This is stated both on the website and on the tickets. This is due to safety concerns and the fact that the program runs very late and younger children have difficulty behaving appropriately when they get tired. Of course there is always the chance that a patron will be dissatisfied with something. If you can’t reasonably explain to them what is going on or easily mollify them, send them to an observatory staff member. Patricia Madison, Elinor Gates, Paul Lynam, Ron Bricmont, or Kostas Chloros are the preferred people to send them to for resolution of the issue.

5 Observatory and Telescope Facts

Many people ask about the Observatory and telescopes. Below are many of the facts visitors like to know. If there are others you think would be useful, let us know and we’ll add them to the list.

5.1 General • Altitude of Observatory is 4209’ above sea level.

• 70,000 tons of rock blasted from Mount Hamilton peak in 1880.

• Observatory building and 36” Refractor construction started in 1881 and completed in January 1888, at a cost of $700,000.

• James Lick was born in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania on August 25, 1796 and died in San Francisco, California on October 1, 1876.

• James Lick was interred at the base of the 36” Refractor on January 8, 1887.

• The 40” telescope dome is the oldest dome on the mountain and originally housed a 12” Clark refractor.

• Observatory currently has 9 telescope domes housing the 36” refractor, Nickel 40” reflector, Shane 120” reflector, Crossley 36” reflector, 0.76m Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope, 20” Dual Astrograph, 0.6m Coude Auxiliary Telescope (sharing the Shane dome), Tauchman 22” reflector, and the 2.4m Automatic Planet Finder

10 (APF) telescope (installed April-May 2009). The Crocker dome currently is empty, but formally housed the Vulcan telescope.

• Jupiter’s 5th moon, Amalthea, discovered with 36” Refractor in 1892.

• Plane crashed into Observatory where the current gift shop is located and cracked the marble ﬂoor on May 21, 1939.

• Gift shop was destroyed by ﬁre June 22, 1999.

• Road to Observatory follows the path of the original dirt road. There are 365 curves (more or less, depends on the counter!) in the road from Alum Rock Ave. to the Observatory. Originally took 5 hours to travel the road with horse and wagon.

• Current research includes extrasolar planet discovery, supernovae discovery and followup research, adaptive optics research, search for brown dwarfs, quasars, and much more.

5.2 36” Refractor • Objective Diameter 36”

• Focal ratio f/19, Focal length 57’ 10”

• Tube length 52’

• Crown lens thickness 1.96” at center, 0.60” at edge

• Flint lens thickness 0.93” at center, 1.65” at edge

• The two lenses are about 6.5” apart

• Total weight of moving part in Right Ascension is 14.5 tons (28,847 lbs)

• Dome inside diameter is 71’

• Dome weight is 99.5 tons

• Dome height is 41’ 8” above top of supporting tower

• Dome height is 76’10” above the ground

• Dome framework is steel and shell is galvanized steel plates.

• Rising ﬂoor is 61.5’ in diameter

• Floor rises 16.5’

• Rising ﬂoor weighs 26 tons

• The original Mills Spectrograph is currently on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

11 5.3 40” Reﬂector • Named for seamstress Anna L. Nickel, who donated $28,000 to construct the 40”. Her photograph is on display in the 40” control room. Shortly after completion, the telescope was valued at $750,000.

• Telescope installed in 1979

• Primary mirror diameter 40”

• Focal ratio f/17

• Copper clad dome

• First telescope to use a friction drive for tracking motion.

• First telescope dome to use encoders for positioning.

• Dubbed ”Spare parts telescope.”

• Constructed in 1.5 years.

• Oﬄoad subscriptions to the Shane telescope.

• Howard Cowan mirror originally intended as upgrade for the Crossley Telescope.

• Dome diameter 24 feet.

• Maximum instrument weight: 750 lbs.

• Versatile telescope (both in scheduling, operations, and instrumentation)

• A workhorse telescope that ﬁlls an important niche, enabling larger observing campaigns to be scheduled, resulting in important contributions to:

– Necessary ”big science” follow-up (e.g. Type Ia supernovae 40 day light-curves; HAT-P-1b exoplanet). – Statistical astronomy (e.g. deriving templates for galaxy and stellar spectral synthesis). – Survey astronomy (e.g. supernova ratios in starburst galaxies; determining mean ages of star clusters). – Transient sources (e.g. recovery/re-discovery of asteroids) – Targets of opportunity (e.g. comets). – Training future generations of professional astronomers, undergraduates, and post- doctoral researchers.

• Technology test-bed:

12 – POLarimeter for Inclined Studies of High-mass binaries (POLISH, Exoplanet systems inclinations and masses) – Externally Dispersed Interferometry (EDI, ﬁrst Doppler exoplanet searches) – Adaptive Optics (e.g. LickAO, Villages, FIRST, ShaneAO) – Optical Search for Extra-Terestrial Intelligence (OSETI, NIROSETI)

• Capable of remote operation. Migration to robotic operation, a la Katzmann Automatic Imaging Telescope (KAIT) and Automated Planet Finder (APF) is being explored.

5.4 Other Sources of Information There are many additional resources about the history and details of Lick Observatory on- line. While you aren’t required to use these resources, I think you’ll enjoy the information and the more you know the more you’ll be able to enhance the visitor experience during the programs.

• The Lick Observatory Historical Collections Project http://collections.ucolick.org/archives on line/

• Telescopes on Mt. Hamilton http://ucolick.org/main/science/telescopes/shane.html

• Research at Lick Observatory http://ucolick.org/main/science/research/index.html

• James Lick http://www.mariposaresearch.net/santaclararesearch/SCBIOS/jlick.html

• Lick Observatory Records/Mary Lea Shane Archive http://guides.library.ucsc.edu/speccoll/collections-overview

• UCSC Lick Observatory Digital collections http://digitalcollections.ucsc.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p265101coll10

6 Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some of the most frequently asked questions we get at the Observatory. If you get asked a question you think should be in here, let us know and we’ll add it. Q. Where is a public phone? A. Currently there is a courtesy public phone at the Observatory at the Diner (the yellow building with white trim at the bottom of the Main Building driveway. the courtesy phone is only for dialing local 408 numbers, toll free numbers, or 911. Q. Where is the bathroom? A. There are bathrooms by the post oﬃce, and just oﬀ the main foyer. Q. Where is the water fountain?

13 A. One is in the main hallway, between the foyer and the men’s bathroom, the other is in the post office lobby. Q. What is it like to live on Mount Hamilton? A. Mt. Hamilton has a population of about 27 (all Observatory staff and their families), a Santa Clara County sheriff’s officer, one room school house for grades K-8 (the school closed in 2005 due to Alum Rock district financial issues and lead paint. It will probably not be reopened.), and post office. Most residents go down to San Jose at least once a week for grocery shopping, gasoline, etc. For more about town life, send them to an observatory resident staff member. Q. When is Lick Observatory open to the public? A. Open Thursday to Sunday (inclusive) throughout the year. Additionally, holidays such as Memorial Day, Labor Day, and President’s Day. Visiting hours are Noon-5pm, tours of 36” given every hour on the half hour. The Shane 3-m telescope dome is open daily, year round, from 10am to 5pm. Q. How long is the road to San Jose? Livermore? Patterson? A. 19 miles between San Jose and the Observatory (45 minute to 1 hour drive). 50 miles from the Observatory to Livermore or Patterson (roughly a 1 hour 30 minute to 1 hour 45 minute drive).

7 How Do Telescopes Work?

Often visitors want to know how telescopes work. Most importantly telescopes collect and focus light to create an image, either viewed through an eyepiece or with a camera. The larger aperture the telescope has, the more light is collected over a wider angle, and hence the brighter and more detailed (higher resolution) the image. There are two types of telescopes, reflectors and refractors. Refractors use lenses to collect and focus the light. Reflectors use mirrors to accomplish the same task. The 36” Lick Refractor uses two 36” diameter lenses to collect light, whereas the Nickel 40” Reflector uses a 40” diameter mirror for the same purpose. Figure 1 shows the light path through a refracting telescope. Most modern research telescopes (and all telescopes larger than 40” in diameter), are reflecting telescopes. Figure 2 shows how light goes through the Shane 120” (3-m) Reflecting telescope. The Nickel 40” telescope is similar, though it only uses the Cassegrain focus. On public nights we have an eyepiece at the Cassegrain focus, but for research a camera or spectrograph sits at that position.

8 What’s New at Lick Observatory?

Often the public wants to know what new projects are underway at the Observatory. This section will briefly describe some of the projects currently underway. Active observatories are in a constant state of flux with new instruments, projects and upgrades perpetually underway as novel and modern technologies are developed and deployed to improve detection efficiency. Many of these improvements are invisible software and strategy optimizations.

14 Figure 1: Refracting Telescope Light Path Diagram

The Automatic Planet Finder (APF) Telescope was installed during April and May 2009. The dome stands near the Shane 3-m Telescope. The telescope is 2.4 meters in diameter (making it the second largest telescope on Mount Hamilton) and is fully robotic. First light of the telescope with a camera for collecting the light was achieved on May 27, 2009 by looking at a bright star, then Saturn. The APF’s specially designed spectrometer saw first light on May 19, 2011. The APF is dedicated to discovering planets around other stars. Robotic observations with the APF started in 2013. Shane Adaptive Optics instrument (ShaneAO) and the ShARCS infrared camera and spectrograph is a new instrument on the Shane 3-m telescope that saw first light during April 2014. Adaptive optics (AO) instruments measure the blurring caused by the Earth’s turbulent atmosphere and correct it in real-time using a deformable optic. ShaneAO uses new technologies such as MEMs deformable mirrors and fiber lasers. This instrument is now being used to collect high resolution images and spectral data of objects ranging from close binary stars to distant quasars. The SETI CAMS (Cameras for All-sky Meteor Surveillance) project is an automated video surveillance of the night sky in search of meteors to validate meteor showers and their parent bodies (e.g. comets and asteroids). NIROSETI (Near-Infrared Optical Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) was commissioned during March 2015 on the Nickel Telescope. This instrument searches for optical and near- infrared laser communication signals generated by other intelligent life in the nearby universe. We haven’t discovered life out there yet, but we have new tool to try and discover it! A new NIROSETI instrument is scheduled to be installed in the Astrograph dome during 2018. This will be a wide field camera surveying the sky for laser communication signals and will operate autonomously every clear night. The Astrograph dome is currently being renovated to make it suitable for installation of this new instrument. Instruments and cameras built by University of California astronomers and their collaborators are brought to Lick to test new prototype detectors and observing techniques. For example, the latest detector technologies allow faster read-out and response times, enabling observations requiring high time resolution, including very active objects such as flare stars and opening new fields of study.

15 Figure 2: Shane 120” Reﬂecting Telescope light paths

9 Interacting with the Public

When you volunteer, you are representing Lick Observatory and astronomers in general, and we want all our visitors to have a positive experience while visiting the Observatory. In general, when a visitor comes near you, within about 5 feet, acknowledge his or her presence. This is a great opportunity to share information about the object being viewed, observatory history, etc. or answer any questions the visitor may have. If they aren’t interested, that’s OK, at least you’ve acknowledged them and they will not feel ignored or uninformed. Though it probably doesn’t need stating, we ask that when you speak to the public you be friendly, helpful, smile, refrain from using foul language, and be sensitive to our guests’ religions, ethnicities, etc. We have included below an article written by Lisa Wood about dealing with the public at astronomical events (originally published in the Sidereal Times March 1999).

Docent Tips Here are some simple tips I’ve picked up throughout the years from various people along the way. If you have any to share with us, please let me know. Here are the four I keep coming back to. 1. Never correct wacky facts unless invited. Although you can take this too far, I’ve learned sometimes the hard way, that we humans hold dearly to our beliefs, as well as our egos, and that unless speciﬁcally asked for conﬁrmation, it

16 doesn’t hurt to let some misinformation slip by. Those who really care to know the truth will eventually stumble across it, and those who don’t, won’t remember the wacky fact anyway. 2. Speak to the children. Back to egos again, when addressing a group of adults and children, keep the discussion on the level of the youngest ones present. Everyone will learn something. 3. Keep it simple. Always tell just a little less than was asked for. That way you whet the appetite of the questioner, and allow him to keep control of the length and direction of the conversation. Although I admit you can get me going on asteroids easier than Cliff the Postman talking about his trips to Florida, everyone’s happier when we keep things general and short. 4. Save the best for last. In the best of all possible worlds, the scope docents outside would gather in something akin to a football huddle at the beginning of each star party and agree upon which celestial events to hold back on. For example, showing the Andromeda galaxy right off the bat pretty much closes the book on enthusiasm for a little fuzzball like M-81, which happens to be one of the most interesting galaxies around. If I thought it might work, I’d ask the docents to agree to hold off on the real sock knockers till after 8 pm [or 18 degree twilight, whichever is later], but organizing astronomers is similar to herding cats, so I haven’t tried it yet. In addition, volunteer Steve Elstad has provided the following tips gathered from his years of experience at our programs sharing his telescope. Not everything applies to those that don’t operate telescopes, but many of the tips apply to all of us. Things that work 1. Interact with as many people as possible. There is always something to say that will start a conversation to interact with a guest. Is this the first time you have visited Lick Observatory? Did you know that the visitor program is mostly staffed with volunteers? Start simply and work up to facts about the 36” refractor and the 1 meter Nickel. 2. Speak to what you know. Provide as much information as you are capable of. If you feel like a question is out of your range of experience dont make something up. For example a 10 year old girl asked me is there a black hole in every galaxy. I said that is a great question and I don’t know for sure. There is a staff astronomer named Elinor Gates here tonight that can answer that. 3. Share common experiences. Ask about what the guest has seen so far tonight and mention something related. Did you see M13? What did you think? Every time I see it in the 36 refractor I am amazed at the detail. Did you get a chance to see the docents with the telescopes behind the building? I’ve always enjoyed the variety of telescopes and objects to see out there. How about that road up here... 4. Be creative with weird questions. I had a women comment on how nice it was that she could see the Milky Way. I said it is great that we are at this altitude and this was a particularly good

17 night. She then said seriously, How many UFOs do you usually see up here? I replied, none tonight. Seemed to work. 5. Be generous with your equipment. Give as much information about your scope as possible. Offer to let the guest use the focus knob to get a better image. 6. Ask about what the guest is seeing. Is the image in focus? Can you make out the moons around Jupiter? Can you see the four stars of the Trapezium in M42? 7. Most of the time you only get one chance to interact with a guest, so give it all you got. Ask the guest what they are interested in seeing. If they don’t know show them something you are interested in and know about in detail. 8. Take breaks. It is a long program and there are a lot of guests so take breaks when they are offered. It helps. If nobody comes to offer you a break ask somebody near you to cover for a few minutes. Things that don’t work 1. Ignoring the guests. Focusing on your phone. Reading a book. Extended chats with your fellow docents. Not making eye contact or a distant stare can be off putting. It says, don’t approach me. 2. Trying to entertain the guests. Funny stories, jokes, what you did at work that day. Focus on the visitor program. 3. Never talk down to the guests or treat them like children. Everybody gets it when they are being spoken down to and dislikes it. Many of the children at the visitor program know quite a bit about astronomy. Some of the guests know more about astronomy than the docents. 4. Try not to repeat the same fact over and over. Repetition when there is a line of guests gets old. Even switching between three simple facts helps. Facts about the object being viewed, the telescope and something about the program or lecture. 5. Being dismissive or short with a guest. I have had guests complain to me that a volunteer cut them off or ignored their questions. Docents get exhausted dealing with 200 guests so it happens, but be aware of it and always take a break when it is offered. 6. Don’t be overly protective of your equipment. Dealing with the public with your telescope can be difficult when somebody grabs it or hangs on it. Generally having a step ladder they can grab and lean on helps a lot. I ask if I can hold their drink or snack for them while they are observing. Being proactive helps. I once got home and noticed that the eyepiece cup on my Nagler was covered with eye makeup. These things are going to happen.

18 10 Safety and Emergencies

10.1 General Please keep in mind that these events take place at night and that people may trip over something unseen. We need to do our best to prevent any of our visitors from injuring themselves. Most of this is taken care of by attentive volunteers watching out for the safety of others while the visitors climb stairs to the telescope, climb onto the 36” floor, walk to the telescopes outside, etc. In particular, make sure that the doors along the stairway to the 36” telescope are closed and that no one goes up to the door to the roof (the door may be open with a fan in front of it for ventilation). No one may go onto the roof unless they have the proper training and safety equipment. Please bring flashlights with red lenses or bulbs with you to the Observatory, that way you can illuminate obstacles as you lead people through the telescope domes or outside. We have a few red flashlights at the Observatory that you may borrow, but be sure to return them at the end of the evening. Even when taking care, accidents may still happen. This can range from scraped knees to broken bones or more serious injuries. For minor accidents we have a first aid kit in the gift shop, in the 36” Refractor dome, 40” Nickel Reflector control room, and the volunteer sign in room. Many staff members and volunteers are trained in first aid and CPR and can help visitors if required. Materials to clean up spillages, etc. should be available in the Men’s restroom next to the gift shop.

10.2 911 Emergencies If the injury is serious or it is a medical emergency (heart attack, seizure, etc.), stay calm, assess the situation, send someone to call 9-911 from a campus phone, and contact an Observatory staﬀ member at extension 8-9611. Ensure that Lick Observatory Superintendent Kostas Chloros is informed of the incident as soon as possible as he can help coordinate the emergency response among the agencies. Contacting Kostas Chloros early on is necessary due to University of California risk management issues. The emergency operator will want to know the following information:

• Your name and nature of the problem.

• Phone number you are using (should be listed on the phone).

• Address: 29955 Mount Hamilton Rd. Visitor’s Center Lick Observatory Mount Hamilton, California, 95140

If the emergency is a heart attack, there is an AED (Automatic Electronic Deﬁbrulator) in the building, mounted on the wall near the courtyard door.

19 If there is a fire or fire alarm, stay calm and evacuate the building. Contact emergency 911 services as necessary. Many observatory staff members will know how to respond to the alarm to assess if a real or false alarm.

10.3 Laser Pointers Many people own laser pointers, particularly the green ones, which are wonderful tools for pointing objects out in the sky. Most laser pointers are class 3R lasers, meaning they could, with misuse, be damaging to human eyes, but are safe when used properly. Thus, we will permit the use of class 3R lasers, those with labeled power of 5 mW or less. Lasers with a power of more than 5mW (this includes many green and blue laser pointers), will not be permitted for use at our public events. Do not point the lasers at people, buildings, or towards objects on the ground. Also, do not loan your laser to members of the public, as they may not use the laser pointer responsibly. It is illegal to point lasers at aircraft and could potentially cause a serious accident if the pilot is dazzled.

11 Fundraisers

11.1 Visitor Center Services All monies donated to the Observatory through the donation boxes and refreshment sales will go towards support public programs run by our visitor’s center. Previous items purchased with these funds are the view scopes by the flag pole, speakers for the main bulding hallway, new public programs computer, ticket podium, the 36” refractor wide field eyepiece, the drinking fountain in the post office lobby, several additional wooden benches in the main building hallway, and the automated external defibrillator.

12 Volunteer Orientation and Appreciation Nights

Volunteer Orientation Night (VON) is usually held in late May or early June a week or two before the first EwS or MoS night. This is a meeting where volunteers can meet Observatory staff and other volunteers and learn about how to do the EwS and MoS night jobs and responsibilities. Information in this document is reviewed and discussed. Volunteers will learn how to move people safely through the 36” Refractor and 40” Reflector domes. Other clerical tasks, such as wrapping mugs and wine glasses for distribution, organizing telescope passes, etc. will also be done by available volunteers and staff. Weather permitting, volunteers will also view through the 36” refractor and/or 40” Nickel telescope, practicing the jobs explained earlier and gaining more understanding of the visitor experience. Volunteer Appreciation Night (VAN) is a thank you evening for the volunteers who helped with the EwS and MoS nights or in other capacities. Volunteers wishing to get a behind the scenes tour of the Shane 120” reflector (or other observatory facility, it varies from year to year) should arrive two hours before the party and meet at the designated location. Otherwise, arrive at the Main Building for the party and viewing through the

20 36” refractor. One guest is allowed per volunteer attending the event. If you wish to bring additional guests, you need to get approval from Patricia Madison ([email protected]) or her designee in advance.

13 Other Volunteer Opportunities at Lick Observatory

13.1 Expanded Visitor Services Solar telescope operations on weekends. We are hoping to start oﬀering solar viewing during the day on weekends at the visitor’s center. While the details haven’t yet been worked out, contact the volunteer coordinator if you are interested in being trained to operate the solar telescope. Any ideas you have for other improvements will be considered, especially if we have the volunteers to help implement them.

13.2 Historical Collections Lick Observatory has an extensive astronomical photographic plate archive and scientiﬁc objects collections. Volunteers wishing to help with organizing and cataloging the collection should contact Elinor Gates ([email protected], 408-238-9610).

13.3 Other Lick is a large facility and there surely are things you as volunteers might see as needing improvement. Please feel free to make suggestions if you are willing to volunteer to help, and we’ll assess the feasibility of the suggestion. For example, if anyone wants to help with landscaping or trail maintenance, or if you see something you think you can help with, please let Patricia Madison ([email protected]), Kostas Chloros ([email protected], 408- 238-9623), or Elinor Gates ([email protected], 408-238-9610) know.