A Bright Spot for Science in O.C. : Saddleback College Solar Observatory Will Enrich Students Too

Orange County is a special place in the sun, a basic fact of our lives that has drawn many to this warm climate. But while the sun is so central to tourism, recreation and business location, the idea of the sun as an object of scientific study has not received quite so much attention. That is changing. The sun will get its due.

Scientists and students at Saddleback Community College have gotten a morale boost with the decision to locate a new solar observatory at their math/science building. The new telescope is an asset for the entire county, which will now have its first solar observatory, offering an alternative for students of our nearby star to making the nearly 100-mile trip to the facility at Big Bear.

Images of the sun will be transmitted into science classrooms and the college library, and there are hopes that the facility eventually can be improved so that it becomes a place for the conduct of significant solar research. It is encouraging to know that there are plans eventually to open the observatory to students from local elementary and high schools around the county, and for it to be also available to both amateur stargazers and astrophysicists.

The project is a testimony to the resolve of Yong H. Kim, an astronomy and physics professor who tried for nearly 10 years to get the observatory for Saddleback, believed to be the first community college in the nation to have such a facility. Kim and colleague Mitch Haeri are applying for federal grants to improve the facility so that more research can be done. They hope this will enable them to participate with other solar facilities in taking and analyzing data. Even though a lot is known about the sun, scientists are still learning how it interacts with Earth and about its effects on our climate, oceans, global warming and the like.

The facility is scheduled to be completed in May. This new resource can bring added prestige to one of the area’s community colleges. Orange County is a fitting site for the study of the sun because it is such a factor in life here--for the surfer, fitness enthusiast and sports-minded person, as well as for those in agriculture and other businesses, and for the transplanted refugees from harsh winters in the East and Midwest.

The new observatory promises to be a boon for local scientists, students and for the community at large.