Milky Way and Saturn Days

After spending the weekend going around with people who can actually afford to buy things at places I wouldn’t even dream of going into, today was a little more my speed. Coming from a place where no one I know owns Prada or Louis Vuitton to a situation where people throw out the names of things their parents are getting them or they're buying as a gift for their mom with those names casually attached has been quite the adjustment.

It's an entirely different world than the world I've been living in, and the weekend was one of the first times even for this trip where I've actually been able to see this world more up close than ever before. Jahnvi and I exploring Chicago over the weekend  before we left for Yerkes has given us at least a few lessons, some of which about the world and lives others are living in.

Everything was going well. I managed to get my suitcase downstairs and to the bus with only one suitcase belly flop scenario. Our bus this time was considerably smaller than the bus we took to Fermilab, meaning that Jahnvi and I wouldn’t be able to have entire rows to nap in, but it was still large enough to have a considerable amount of leg room and minimum discomfort. Just about our entire class was on the bus, when we realized there was only one seat left and four people. It was only 9:15 and something had already gone wrong.

The three guys who there was no room for proposed some solutions, such as taking an Uber all the way there, taking the CTA all the way there, or carpooling. Our chaperone Charlotte of course didn’t agree with any of this and was busy calling people who could hopefully help sort out the whole situation. By the time she had called five people with no response she looked almost in tears, and ran back inside the building to grab someone to help her out. As it turns out, a bus that fits 25 people was ordered instead of a bus that fits more, because we only have 22 people in our class and Charlotte. Whoever ordered the bus didn’t realize that we had 23 people’s worth of luggage.

We lugged our luggage off of the bus and placed it in the lobby where it would be picked up and placed on a van that would follow us to Wisconsin.

The ride was quite beautiful. I’ve always liked passing by small shops and houses in the middle of nowhere on drives, as I lke thinking about who is in that shop, what are they buying, how has their day been, or who lives in that house, how long has it been there and more. I spent the time I wasn't napping on the ride dedicated to this, I didn't want to miss anything outside to my phone.

When we reached George Williams College where we would be staying none of us knew where to go, but we didn't really care, the campus was beautiful. The buildings weren't particularly interesting but the view was gorgeous.

It's bizarre to think that this is a college that someone would actually go to, because the view is resort like.

When our rooms were ready we walked in, expecting simple dorm rooms. That's not what we got. The room had two large beds and a private bathroom, far more luxury than we were used to. They've definitely spoiled us with these rooms.

I didn't know exactly where we were supposed to be, but neither did anyone else. The first schedule we got implied that we would be settling in, but without our luggage that wouldn't be possible. Instead most of our class gathered on a whim in the hallway and we talked for the next 30 minutes or so while we waited for our luggage. I'm looking forward to getting to know the people in my class on a more personal level, because though we've been in class together for 2 weeks now we're often focused entirely on work with little leisure time with them.

After luggage collection we then walked up to see Yerkes. I knew in advance what to expect, but I was still unprepared to see just how large and grand the whole structure was. When inside, my group saw the 40" refractor first. It's the largest refractor in the world and despite being a perfectly functional telescope, people don't use it very much. It's sad to see a beautiful piece of equipment sit there as a show piece when it's still functional.

We toured the length of the building upstairs and then saw the 24" which is sadly dealing with a broken dome, and the 41", which is actually only 40 inches but called the 41" to distinguish it. When the tour was over and we had used Astrometry.net to analyze a few images, we were sent down to dinner to return at 8:30.

Upon our return we were broken into groups, my group having both Jahnvi and Carly along with Lister and Nick, two classmates I had gotten to know better just today.

We went with Professor Kron to use the 40". The second we stepped on the elevator floor, it quickly became my favorite scope. The floor raises up tremendously to make viewing easier, and though the telescope has a drive on it, we only used it for fine adjustments. We actually as a group had to push the end of the telescope in order to get it where we wanted. It was quite the effort, but after we could see Saturn through the eyepiece it was all worth it.

Apparently few are actually able to use the telescope as most are scared that they'll break a piece of history. Though that is a real concern a telescope is an instrument that is meant to be used, though the 40" is  now obsolete I don't think it should be neglected.

We then went out on the lawn, and I was able to see the Milky Way for the first time in my life. I don't think I've every seen quite as many stars as I did. There are a few students in my class that live in places where they do actually get to see that view every day, but this is the first time I've ever caught a glimpse of it.

At the 41" we saw Messier objects and glimpsed what we think was an asteroid breaking up in the atmosphere. After we tried to view Pluto, the telescope and the software stopped talking to each other and we had to head back down. It was probably for the best, as by that point we were all sitting on the floor very tired.

I learned so much on my first day at Yerkes, I can't wait to find what the rest of the week has in store.

A picture of Saturn Jahnvi caught!