Knight View

Summer 2016

Dedicated on April 25, 1996, the Robinson Observatory provides research and educational opportunities for students and the community alike. The facility, which houses a 20-inch telescope, offers students a training ground to collect solid data and conduct original research. And the popular “Knights Under the Stars,” a series of free events held throughout the academic year, invites the community to learn more about the solar system from knowledgeable volunteers.

“People will literally gasp the first time they see an up-close view of Saturn’s rings or craters on the moon. It’s very satisfying for us to be able to bring the night sky to people in such a visceral way.”

— Yan Fernandez, associate professor of planetary science and director of the Robinson Observatory

88
Number of constellations

100 billion+
Number of stars in the Milky Way

100-200 billion
Number of galaxies seen from the Hubble telescope

1 trillion
Potential number of galaxies in the universe

100 sextillion (100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000)
Estimated number of stars in the universe