Research in astronomy and space
Astronomy resources
- American Physical Society (APS)
- Astrophysics and cosmology research at Wayne State
- Current night sky via Sky and Telescope Magazine
- Hubble Space Telescope
- NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
- Particle Adventure
- Physics World
- Tips for buying binoculars (and telescopes)
- Wayne State physics and astronomy student groups
Zowada Memorial Observatory
The Dan Zowada Memorial Observatory consists of a state-of-the-art 20-inch PlaneWave telescope with a PlaneWave L-500 direct-drive mount on Palomar Mountain in southern California at an elevation of 5,000 ft. Relocated from the high desert of Rodeo, NM, the robotically-controlled remote observatory supports key research projects requiring nightly imaging of galaxies. The telescope boasts a FingerLakes Instruments ProLine 23042 CCD camera equipped with Sloan ugri and PanSTARRS z filters for science and LRGB and H-alpha filters for astrophotography. Sky conditions are monitored by an all-sky camera and a weather station. Named in honor of Michigan amateur astronomer, Dan Zowada, who tragically died of cancer at the age of 54, the observatory was kindly donated to Wayne State University by the 419 Foundation of Russ and Stephanie Carroll.