Campbell University physics and astronomy instructor Jason Ezell was surfing the Net when he stumbled upon a phenomenal find, a $20,000 Newtonian Reflector telescope with a Dobson mount and 30-inch scope. Five times more powerful than any other university-owned scope, the Newtonian Reflector will help Ezell’s astronomy students obtain more information about the solar system than ever before. And best of all, it was offered free through a government surplus program, Energy-Related Laboratory Equipment (ERLE), operated by the U.S. Department of Energy. ERLE grants available access to used energy-related laboratory equipment to universities, colleges and nonprofit organizations for the study of energy-related projects.”All we had to do was arrange for shipping from the Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico to Buies Creek,” Ezell said. “I was very excited.””More like exuberant,” added Ezell’s 17-year-old son John.When the huge package arrived, Ezell and John assembled the 400-pound telescope and installed wheels to make it mobile. The scope is housed at the Campbell Planetarium located in Keith Hills where astronomy classes meet.”We were so fortunate to find a telescope of this magnitude at virtually no cost to the university,” Ezell said. “We’ll use it primarily for the astronomy classes I teach, but we will also hold public viewings when there is an astrological event such as in mid-December when Mars moves closer to the earth.”Students have already been able to identify Mars’ polar ice caps using other telescopes, but the Newtonian Reflector with its 30-inch scope will greatly magnify details on the surface of the planet.The bigger the piece of glass or scope, the fainter the objects you can see, Ezell said.”The geometry explains it well,” he said. “If you double the size of the piece of glass, you get four times the amount of light; triple the size, you get nine times the amount of light. Who knows, maybe we’ll get to see the little robots on Mars rolling around and poking at things.”Jason Ezell teaches physics and astronomy at Campbell and is coordinator for the undergraduate labs. He received a Bachelor of Science from Campbell University, graduating cum laude in 1981 and a Master of Science in physics from North Carolina State University in 1986. Prior to becoming a university instructor, Ezell was an adjunct faculty member at Campbell and a physics and math instructor at Central Carolina Community College in Sanford. He is a member of the physics honor Society Sigma Pi Sigma.Photo Copy: Campbell astronomy instructor Jason Ezell and his son John, a junior at Harnett Central High School, pose with the powerful telescope Ezell acquired for the University. Photo by Shannon Ryals.
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