After a break for lunch, we had another lecture about the long term fate of the universe. It was admittedly depressing to discuss whether the universe would end with a crunch or a freeze, but also somewhat comforting to be working with timescales well beyond ten to the power of twenty years out.

Once our lectures were complete, it was time to start the week-long crunch to complete our Method of Gauss code, astrometry, photometry, and Minor Planet Center report. A great deal of us stayed in the computer lab past midnight working on our illusive MoG code.  While this may not sound like a whole lot of fun, much like our walk back to the dorms in the rain at 1:00 am, the support and laughter of a great group of people made every moment of it enjoyable.

I’m Sean, a rising senior from Long Island, New York. My primary academic interest is engineering, although I also enjoy physics and astronomy. In my free time I enjoy working out, playing tennis, and biking with friends.

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The lecture was on quantum mechanics, a subject that I’ve been interested in recently, and was given by Dr. Andersen. I was fascinated but also quite confused, a sentiment that was echoed by most people I talked to. After the lecture was lunch at the dining hall, and then Dhanush, Gio, and I decided to work on problem sets. After finishing all four questions on the physics problem set and even the first question of the astronomy problem set, we decided to head to the library, where we ate ramen and talked about physics and life. As we exited the building, we noticed that in New Mexico, all it took was 45 minutes for it to go from a clear sunny day to a dark and cloudy rainstorm.

After dinner, Joey, Eric, Hardev and I took a break from work and decided to make paper airplanes. We tested them from the second floor of Domenici Hall and then watched YouTube videos to improve our designs.

After working a bit more on physics, astronomy, and asteroid determination code, we left Domenici Hall at 11:00 PM, significantly earlier than normal. The fact that we are just over a week out from the end of SSP is surreal to me, and while it will be sad to see everyone go, I can’t wait for the memories that will be created in the next 10 days!

I’m Jason, and I’m a rising junior from Cincinnati, Ohio. My favorite subjects are math, physics, and chemistry. I also love riding my bike with friends, playing video games, and swimming.

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Although SSP has been one of my most academically rigorous endeavors, I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I love the excitement in the computer room when a PSET problem is finally solved, or the deep late-night discussions and cockroach or sprinkler dodging while walking back from an observation session. In this blog, I wish to highlight some of the non-academic activities in SSP and summarize my last few days.

Over the last weekend, a few of my friends and I purchased LEGO cars at Target. Max and Kevin are avid Formula 1 fans, and they nerded out over what flags to fly on each vehicle and which minifigure would drive. Max, also a talented photographer, took some amazing shots of the cars lined up.

On Sunday afternoon, our TAs taught us how to swing dance. Despite my atrocious dancing, it was less awkward and difficult than I anticipated, and I had a lot of fun. There was a ping pong tournament later that I unfortunately could not attend since I needed to complete my LCO observing log before dinner.

Later on Sunday night, I had my first LCO (Las Cumbres Observatory) observing session, which was a breeze compared to Tortugas Mountain Observatory (TMO). Instead of a 2-hour session in the telescope room at 1 am, I only needed to submit a request on the LCO website at 8 pm. Their extensive network of robotic telescopes took pictures of my asteroid from the most optimal locations around the world. My first picture arrived from Tenerife, Spain in under half an hour! After the observing session, we watched one of my favorite animated movies–Penguins of Madagascar.

This morning, we scaled Tortugas Mountain (also known locally as “A” mountain in reference to the enormous letter “A” engraved into it) to take a tour of TMO. The climb was short but fairly intensive as the incline was very steep. However, the views at the end and the observatory made the hike more than worthwhile. From the peak, I could gaze upon a panoramic view of the expansive, arid Chihuahuan desert and the Rio Grande Valley. The tour guide shared engaging facts about the native wildlife, the history of TMO, and the agricultural opportunities present due to the Rio Grande River.

The observatory was built in the 60s and is currently operated remotely. The interior was very old and it was fascinating to see the vintage technology, astronomical maps and catalogs, and the dark room. I got the chance to both revolve the dome and control the telescope.

While the first week was all lectures, the weekend was packed with activities and the coming week seems no different as SSP picks up its pace. Time has already started to fly, and I can’t wait for the memories and knowledge I will continue to gain over the next 4 weeks!

I’m Dhanush and I am from Saratoga, California in the Bay Area. I have a deep interest in Math, Physics, and especially Computer Science. In my free time, I enjoy hiking or biking on Norcal’s wonderful trails and playing video games with my friends.

The post LEGO Cars and the Tortugas Mountain Observatory first appeared on SSP International.