- News
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2021 News
- Faculty of Science Canada Research Chairs announcement
- Excellence in Science Public Engagement and Outreach Award winners announced
- Larger households contribute to COVID-19 transmission in Fraser Health Region
- Study finds Sawfish face extinction unless overfishing is curbed
- Astronaut "moves" to help prevent falls among older adults confined to bed rest
- Paleontologists discover major new insect group after solving 150-year-old mystery
- COVID-19 experts share 2020 SFU Media Newsmaker Award
- Chemistry professor awarded the 2021 John C. Polanyi Award for research excellence
- Where do we look when we walk?
- BPK prof honored with SFU Excellence in Teaching Award
- SFU lab one step closer to understanding how life started on Earth
- Research collaboration achieves world’s first laser-cooling of antimatter
- Fossil discovery deepens snakefly mystery
- Rain, rain go away! SFU Chemists develop new waterproofing solution.
- Asian Heritage Month; a profile of Hogan Yu
- IT team wins Staff Achievement Award for keeping us all connected
- Asian Heritage Month; a profile of Liangliang Wang
- New COVID-19 rapid test kit receives scientific seal of approval
- Asian Heritage Month: a profile of Ly Vu
- Asian Heritage Month: a profile of Weiran Sun
- Biology major completes degree while battling long-haul COVID
- SFU physicist Stephanie Simmons receives YWCA Women of Distinction Award
- SFU paleontologist honours Indigenous culture through collaboration
- Math alum creates award to support SFU students with mental health challenges
- SFU alum and scientist Kyle Bobiwash speaks on the importance of diversity of perspectives and worldviews in research.
- First Indigenous and Black Graduate scholarship established for SFU biology graduate students
- Global study shows major seagrass losses around the world
- Regular rapid testing detects COVID-19 soon enough to stop transmission in schools
- SFU Staff Achievement Award winner keeps Faculty of Science running smoothly through pandemic
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2020 News
- STUDY SUGGESTS SEA LICE ON SALMON IS UNDER-REPORTED AT B.C. SALMON FARMS
- ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA HONOURS FACULTY OF SCIENCE RESEARCHERS
- SFU STUDY NETS NEW DATA ON HEAD IMPACTS EXPERIENCED BY HOCKEY PLAYERS
- FAST AND LOOSE: NANOMACHINES WITH FLOPPY CONNECTIONS GO FASTER
- SFU CHEMIST’S NEW PROCESS FAST-TRACKS DRUG TREATMENTS FOR VIRAL INFECTIONS AND CANCER
- HOT WATER CAN SOMETIMES COOL FASTER THAN WARM WATER – SFU RESEARCH CONFIRMS
- EDNA TECHNOLOGY MORE EFFECTIVE IN MONITORING SALMON RUNS: SFU RESEARCH
- LOVE OF SPORTS, MATH LANDS SFU ALUMNUS JOB WITH SEATTLE’S NHL FRANCHISE
- STAFF KEEP RESEARCH ALIVE DURING PANDEMIC
- A WHISKER'S MORE PROTECTION FOR CLEAN-SHAVEN MASK WEARERS
- RESEARCHERS WORKING TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR SENIORS IN LONG-TERM CARE
- NEW STUDY FINDS CORAL ISLANDS MAY NOT “DROWN” AMID CLIMATE CHANGE
- NEW FOSSIL DISCOVERY SHOWS 50 MILLION-YEAR-OLD CANADA-AUSTRALIA CONNECTION
- BPK GRAD AIMS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE AMID CHALLENGES OF LAB WORK ON COVID-19 PROJECT
- HOW CANNABIDIOL MAY BE HELPFUL IN TREATING DIABETES-RELATED ARRHYTHMIAS
- SFU LAB HELPS PATIENT MANAGE RARE DISEASE THROUGH PROGRAMMED EXERCISE
- SFU SURREY SCIENCE LABS HOST COVID-19 HAND SANITIZER PRODUCTION
- SFU EPIDEMIOLOGIST’S RESEARCH INFORMS B.C. HEALTH POLICY ON COVID-19
- SFU PROFESSOR’S INVENTION APPROVED BY FDA TO HELP WEAN COVID-19 PATIENTS FROM VENTILATORS
- SFU STAFF AND FACULTY DONATE MASKS, GLOVES, ADDITIONAL COVID-19 SUPPLIES TO LOCAL HOSPITALS
- CORONAVIRUS TESTING KITS WILL BE DEVELOPED USING SFU-INVENTED RNA IMAGING TECHNOLOGY
- NEW "SMALL NUMBER" K-12 MATH LEARNING MATERIALS AVAILABLE
- SFU RESEARCH TEAM HELPS TEST POTENTIAL SUPERBUG-KILLING COMPOUND
- SFU CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL DAY OF WOMEN AND GIRLS IN SCIENCE
- STUDY REVEALS HIDDEN RISKS OF ESTUARY DEVELOPMENT FOR YOUNG SALMON
- SFU RESEARCHER SCORES MAJOR FUNDING FOR ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA RESEARCH
- SFU EARTH SCIENTIST JOHN CLAGUE NAMED TO ORDER OF CANADA
- FACULTY OF SCIENCE RECEIVES OVER $1M IN RESEARCH FUNDING FROM CANADA FOUNDATION FOR INNOVATION
- ABUNDANCE OF SALMON KEY TO FEEDING 'UNDERDOG' STREAM FISHES: SFU RESEARCH
- YOUNG INVESTIGATOR AWARD BESTOWED ON PHYSICS PROF.
- SFU PHYSICS PROFESSOR RECOGNIZED AS “TOP 40 UNDER 40” IN CANADA
- SFU RESEARCH FINDS CLUES TO UNDERSTANDING CBD AND ITS MEDICINAL EFFECTS
- SFU alumnus inspired by her organization’s 2020 Nobel Peace Prize
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2019 News
- SFU RESEARCH POINTS TO UNPRECEDENTED AND WORRYING RISE IN SEA LEVELS
- SFU GLOBAL COLLABORATION CREATES WORLD’S FIRST OPEN-SOURCE DATABASE OF NATURAL MICROBIAL PRODUCTS
- VIRTUAL CADAVERS BRING LEARNING TO LIFE AT SFU
- SFU RESEARCHERS DISCOVER POTENTIAL WAY TO MANAGE INSECTS WITHOUT CHEMICALS
- FIRST FOSSIL DRAGONFLIES FROM B.C. IDENTIFIED AND NAMED
- INTERNATIONAL STUDY FINDS NEW GENETIC FEATURES IN RARE BURKITT LYMPHOMA CANCER
- TRIO OF SFU SCIENCE PROFESSORS HONORED
- NEW EVIDENCE SHOWS HUMAN PRESENCE IN HAIDA GWAII 2,200 YEARS EARLIER THAN PREVIOUS ESTIMATES
- SFU CHEMISTRY PROF NAMED TO ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA
- POPULAR BUT DANGEROUS LAB DEMO NOW SAFER THANKS TO SFU CHEMISTS
- SFU PHYSICS WELCOMES NEW ASTROPHYSICIST
- WATCH YOUR SPEED—WHALE ZONE AHEAD!
- DEPARTMENT OF STATISTICS & ACTUARIAL SCIENCE WELCOMES DONALD ESTEP
- COMPLIANT FLOORING NOT THE ANSWER TO PREVENTING FALL-RELATED INJURIES
- SFU WELCOMES NEW SHRUM CHAIR IN BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF DISEASE
- PEST BUSTING SFU PROF NAMED FELLOW OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA
- INTERNATIONAL STUDENT BUILDS HIS OWN ADVENTURE AT SFU
- THE DIRT ON SUSTAINABLE SHEEP FARMING
- TINY FISH A BIG LURE FOR LIFE ON CORAL REEFS
- BIG ENERGY SAVINGS FOR TINY MACHINES
- BIOLOGY CLASS ANALYZES DOG DNA FOR BODY SIZE, SNOUT LENGTH AND COAT LENGTH
- SFU STUDIES CAUSES BEHIND SUDDEN UNEXPECTED DEATH IN INFANTS
- ANAL SECRETIONS OF APHIDS PROVIDE SUSTENANCE FOR MOSQUITOES
- CITIZEN SCIENTISTS' RARE FOSSIL BIRDS SHED NEW LIGHT ON AVIAN HISTORY
- STATISTICS STUDENTS IMPRESS THE NFL WITH THEIR MOVES
- 3D IMAGES IN PDFS IS A GAMECHANGER FOR CHEMISTRY EDUCATION
- DAVID SHIFFMAN NAMED PRESIDENT'S SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSMAKER OF THE YEAR
- EARTH SCIENCES TECHNICIAN DIGS DEEP TO DEVELOP ENGAGEMENT
- EARLY-CAREER LECTURER KEVIN LAM DRIVEN BY LIFE-LONG PASSION FOR TEACHING
- CHEMISTRY TEAM "FIXES" CANCER-SUPPRESSING P53 PROTEIN
- SFU RESEARCHERS FIND NEW CLUES TO CONTROLLING HIV
- STUDY PREDICTS WARMER, DRIER MOUNTAINS POSE A DOUBLE WHAMMY FOR COLD-ADAPTED AMPHIBIANS
- “MICROSCOPIC” IMPROVEMENTS YIELD BIG GAINS IN SFU’S RESEARCH CAPABILITIES
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2018 News
- SFU PROF’S WORLDWIDE INFLUENCE ON SHARKS AND RAYS RESEARCH LEADS TO ACCOLADE AND A NEW CONSERVATION PROGRAM
- SFU TEAM LEADS $12-MILLION EFFORT TO EXPAND SYSTEM OF WORLDWIDE HEALTH RESEARCH DATABASES
- SFU FACULTY MEMBERS SET SIGHTS ON HOLLYWOOD NORTH
- NEWLY HIRED STATS PROF BRINGS EXPERTISE IN BIG DATA AND MACHINE LEARNING
- MUSCLES KNOW BEST
- NANOMACHINES HAVE ALL THE MOVES
- PHD CANDIDATE IN MARINE BIOLOGY WINS MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL PRIZE
- ENGAGED STUDENT DOES IT ALL
- GENETIC MUTATION PROVIDES POTENTIAL CLUE TO NON-HODGKIN LYMPHOMA
- BUILDING MOLECULAR MOTORS – ONE STEP AT A TIME
- NEW STUDY ON EFFECTS OF CANNABIS ON PAIN AND SEIZURE CONTROLNEW STUDY ON EFFECTS OF CANNABIS ON PAIN AND SEIZURE CONTROL
- FACULTY OF SCIENCE WELCOMES NEW DEAN!
- SCIENCE INQUIRY VIDEOS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS LAUNCHED
- SFU MATHEMATICIAN RECEIVES ROYAL SOCIETY AWARD
- JOHN REYNOLDS NAMED CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE STATUS OF ENDANGERED WILDLIFE IN CANADA
- SFU STUDY BUSTS MYTH ABOUT FACIAL HAIR ON PILOTS
- NOT SO FAST: FROM SHREWS TO ELEPHANTS, ANIMAL REFLEXES SURPRISINGLY SLOW
- SFU TEAM RECEIVES FUNDING TO EXPAND SYSTEM OF WORLDWIDE HEALTH RESEARCH DATABASES
- MEET THE LATEST WINNERS OF THE FACULTY OF SCIENCE EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AWARDS.
- MEET NEW MATH PROF & CANADA 150 RESEARCH CHAIR, CAROLINE COLIJN
- SCIENTIFIC TEAM SCOOPS MAJOR AWARDS FOR WORK CONFIRMING THE STANDARD MODEL OF COSMOLOGY
- HOW SALMON "OUST THE LOUSE"
- ABORIGINAL SUMMER CAMP ALUMNI JOIN SFU AS UNDERGRADS
- OUTSTANDING ALUMNI AWARD FOR STEVEN HOLDCROFT
- SCIENTISTS ON TWITTER: PREACHING TO THE CHOIR OR SINGING FROM THE ROOFTOPS?
- SFU KICKS OFF SPORTS ANALYTICS CONFERENCE
- NEW METHOD FOR DETECTING DOPING IN CYCLISTS PROPOSED
- SFU’S LONGEST SERVING SENATE FACULTY MEMBER STEPS DOWN
- PRIME GROWING AREAS FOR B.C. OYSTERS CONTAIN ALARMINGLY HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF PLASTIC MICROBEADS
- TALK ABOUT SCIENCE!
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2017 News
- FLIRTING ON THE FLY: HUMANS CAN LEARN A THING OR TWO FROM BLOW FLIES ABOUT ATTRACTION ON DATING APPS
- SFU RESEARCHERS SHINE LIGHT ON ANTIMATTER
- SARAH JOHNSON WINS FACULTY OF SCIENCE EXCELLENCE IN PUBLIC OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT AWARD
- SCIENCE TECHNICAL CENTER WINS SFU TEAM ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
- SFU's Trottier Observatory wins national award for landscape design
- SFU PROF SCORES POSITION WITH NBA
- STUDY FINDS GREATER RISK OF EXTINCTION AMONG HIGH DIVERSITY AMPHIBIAN GROUPS
- 2017 CONVOCATION STAR - DANIELLE JEONG
- 2017 CONVOCATION STAR - ANDY ZENG
- 2017 CONVOCATION STAR - JOHN THOMPSON
- PERFECT PAIRINGS: COUPLE MEETS AT SCIENCE FROSH & HEAD TO MED SCHOOL TOGETHER
- EXTREME SCIENCE IN VOLCANOLOGY
- NEW CANADA RESEARCH CHAIR BOOSTS FUNDING FOR ENERGY-CONVERSION TECHNOLOGY
- CHEMISTRY BUILDING EARNS GOLD, LEED AWARD
- NEW CLASSROOMS + SOCIAL AREA = [MATH WEST]
- NEW STUDY SHOWS BANNING SHARK FIN IN THE U.S. WON’T HELP SAVE SHARKS
- NEW RESEARCH LINKS HEART ATTACKS TO GENETIC MUTATION
- CONSERVATION ACTUALLY WORKS
- NATIONAL GOLD MEDAL HONORS GERHARD GRIES' INSECT EXPERTISE
- REVVING YOUR NANOSCALE ENGINE
- "ROCK STAR" GEOSCIENTIST RECEIVES LEGGET MEDAL
- PUBLIC HEALTH MATHEMATICIAN JOINS SFU AS CANADA 150 RESEARCH CHAIR
- VOLCANIC SIMULATION TEACHES EARTH SCIENCES STUDENTS CRISIS MANAGEMENT SKILLS
- MARS' SURFACE WATER: WE FINALLY KNOW WHAT HAPPENED
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2016 News
- HANDS-ON LEARNING ON THE MOUNTAIN
- SEA STARS SHED LIGHT ON HUMAN REPRODUCTION
- EXERCISE MAY PUT SOME HEART PATIENTS AT RISK
- ZIKA VIRUS AND THE RIO 2016 OLYMPIC GAMES
- STAFF ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR THE FACULTY OF SCIENCE
- DIGGING FOR ANTIBIOTICS
- FROM STUDENT TO CEO
- FACULTY OF SCIENCE SWEEPS EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AWARDS
- STATS STUDENT SAYS THANKS TO HIGH SCHOOL MATH TEACHER
- SWEET AWARD FOR STATISTICS PROF
- ECONOMICS DRIVE THE EXTINCTION OF LARGE MARINE ANIMALS
- SFU RESEARCHERS STUDY DNA TO FIND GENETIC MUTATION BEHIND RARE DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER
- EMPU DIRECTOR RECEIVES "HIGH-FLYING" AWARD
- SFU'S POPULAR ACADEMIC SUMMER CAMP FOR ABORIGINAL STUDENTS A HIT WITH ALUMNI
- SEA STAR DEATH TRIGGERS ECOLOGICAL DOMINO EFFECT
- DUGAN O'NEIL WINS COMPUTE CANADA TRAILBLAZER AWARD
- INTERNATIONAL ENTOMOLOGY AWARD FOR ‘BED BUG’ BIOLOGIST
- UNDERGRAD GETS MUSCLE MECHANICS RESEARCH PUBLISHED
- TRAILBLAZING SCIENTIST AND ADVISOR PASSES AWAY AT 102
- UNDERSTANDING HOW THE "BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER" IS BREACHED IN BACTERIAL MENINGITIS
- NEW SFU PROFESSORSHIP TO BOOST RESEARCH COLLABORATION WITH RCH
- SFU RESEARCHERS WORK TO FINE-TUNE COLLAGEN GROWTH
- EVERGREEN LINE 'CORES' PROVIDE EARTH SCIENTISTS WITH WEALTH OF HISTORICAL DATA
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2015 News
- JOHN REYNOLDS NETS AWARD
- ISABELLE COTÉ & WENDY PALEN RECEIVE PRESTIGIOUS LEOPOLD FELLOWSHIPS
- HUMAN GENOMICS CLASS GETS UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
- TRIPLE WIN FOR MATHEMATICIANS
- DATING TECHNIQUES: ILLUMINATING THE PAST
- HOWARD TROTTIER WINS BC SUGAR ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
- TEMPERATURE CHANGE CAN TRIGGER SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH
- FAT ACCUMULATION IN HUMAN SKELETAL MUSCLES EFFECTS ABILITY TO PERFORM EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES
- SFU TO HOST SITE OF RESEARCH CYBER NETWORK
- STATISTICS PROF. SNAGS HIGHEST HONOR
- NEW CANCER-FIGHTING FUNDS TO HELP PATIENTS WITH AGGRESSIVE NON-HODGKIN LYMPHOMA
- WIRED FOR LAZINESS
- SFU CO-LEADS NATIONAL PROJECT TO REVIVE COHO SALMON
- NEW PROFESSORSHIP FOCUSES ON NEW TREATMENTS FOR AUTISM
- NEW RESEARCH OPENS DOORS TO UNDERSTANDING TONSIL CANCER
- NEW DISEASE-CARRYING MOSQUITO ARRIVES IN BC
- GENES RESPONSIBLE FOR THE THREE KINDS OF MALE RUFFS IDENTIFIED
- SCIENTISTS TAKE AIM AT DISEASE-CARRYING “KISSING BUG”
- BURNABY AND CHILEAN ELEMENTARY STUDENTS LEARN ASTRONOMY TOGETHER
- SCRATCH THESE OFF OF YOUR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING LIST
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2021 News
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Telescope & Observatory Technical Capabilities
Telescope
The telescope is the PlaneWave Instruments CDK700. It has a 0.7m aperture, and at f/6.5 has a comparatively wide field of view of about 0.5 degrees (the apparent angular diameter of the full Moon), when used either visually (with our widest angle eyepiece) or with our imaging camera. Technical information on the telescope design can be found at PlaneWave.
The telescope has an alt-azimuth mount and two observation ports. The main imaging camera is is installed at one port (visible above in the image on the left), which has a built-in field de-rotator, and an integrated guiding camera. The the other port has a “periscope” (visible above in the image on the right) that is used for visual observation, and also for interfacing with other equipment, including our spectrographs.
The observatory has two astronomical imaging cameras, and two spectrographs, which are described next, followed by some information on the software that controls the various systems.
Cameras
Our main camera is intended for deep-sky imaging (galaxies, star clusers, nebulae): it is the Finger Lake Instruments ProLine PL16803, with a 16 Megapixel-chip having 9 micron pixels. The image scale is 0.4 arcseconds/pixel, and the camera field of view is about 25 arc-minutes. We have an externally-mounted filter wheel with a complete set of broad- and narrow-band filters.
We also have a high frame-rate camera that is suited to planetary “lucky” imaging. It is the ZWO ASI174MC colour-one shot camera.
The first full colour image taken at the observatory was reviewed by the Editor of SkyNews, Canada’s magazine of popular astronomy:
Some examples of planetary images (taken with another camera, not as well-suited to planetary imaging as the ZWO) are shown in the report on this page by an observatory user named Oleg Mazurenko.
If you are considering to take deep-sky images, you will want to consider objects that “fit” within the camera’s field of view, and that are bright enough to produce a satisfying result with a limited amount of telescope time. You should also realize that good astronomical images take a lot of experimentation with image processing! A helpful introduction to deep-sky imaging and image processing can be found at this Sky&Telescope website.
Spectrographs
The observatory has two spectrographs. Only one spectrograph is currently installed, and it is designed primarily for high-resolution stellar spectroscopy. An extensive report on the first results obtained with the spectrograph can be found on this page.
The report includes detailed information on how the spectrograph is used, and has many examples of interesting astrophysical targets, with explanations of how the data is analyzed and interpreted, along with references to many on-line resources.
Software and Remote User Information
High schools that are awarded time to use the observatory will be able to conduct their observations remotely, with the assistance of a fully-trained operator who will be present at the observatory throughout the observing run. High-school users do not have to have experience in the use of the software that controls the telescope, cameras, and spectrographs – the on-site operator can implement the specified observing program, and will use Skype for live communication with the school users. For school users who want a more “hands-on” experience, we can schedule remote daytime training sessions using Skype.
The observatory has an interior camera in the dome area that will allow remote users to see what the facility looks like before beginning an observing session. Remote users will also have access to live feeds from outdoor cameras with views of the observatory site, as well as live images of the night sky from an all-sky camera located on the roof, along with data from a weather sensor.
For remote users who want to use the main camera for deep-sky imaging, there is the option of using a high-level web-browser interface to select targets and specify imaging times, filters, and related imaging options; this will provide a certain level of direct engagement with observatory control, with little or no familiarity with the underlying systems; this high-level interface is called ACP Observatory Control, by a company called DC-3 Dreams, and is detailed here.
The software that controls the telescope, and integrates control of the dome, also serves as a powerful “planetarium” interface, and is called TheSky X, by Software Bisque.
The deep-sky camera is controlled by a sophisticated program that integrates auto-guider control, and interfaces directly with TheSky X: it is called MaxIm DL, by a Canadian company called Diffraction Limited:
Diffraction Limited also make our weather sensor, called the Boltwood Cloud Sensor II: