When completed, it will house the largest telescope in the Capital Region.
Siena College has announced that construction begins this summer on a new observatory, after it received grant money from the Maryland-based Sherman Fairchild Foundation. It will be built atop Roger Bacon Hall and house a telescope featuring a 27-inch diameter mirror.
In addition to the physics and astrophysics faculty and students, the observatory will be used by the more than 30 percent of Siena students that take Introduction to Astronomy as a liberal arts elective.
Work on the observatory starts in July and the hope is to have it up and running in the fall. In addition to coursework and research, public observing sessions will also be offered.
Photo: Siena College