A&M OBSERVATORY RANKED AS THIRD IN THE NATION

  

 The observatory at Texas A&M was recently ranked as third in the nation, outranking even more established and older college facility teaching programs.

The 11 year old observatory, located on Fishtank Road on the west side of Easterwood Airport, was upgraded under the leadership of Don Carona, and has become a premiere teaching institute.

According to CollegeRank.net, a survey released in early November ranked the 25 Best College Astronomy observatories such as the U.S. Naval Academy’s Observatory in Maryland and Keck Observatory in Hawaii as number 1 and number 2 in the nation. The survey was mean to cut through the “noise” of online college-related information by showing what different universities offer.

The observatory is located on 37 acres and has a 60 seat classroom with a 16 inch telescope under 18 foot hydraulically operated dome, a robotic observatory and a 20 inch telescoped that can be controlled via the internet.

The article in the magazine describes the Aggie observatory as “rather small,” but praised it being high tech and featuring a full gigabyte internet connectivity, and relies on powerful computers that can conduct complex processing of images and sounds, making it easier to detect new stars or planets.

To read about all 25 observatories, go to www.collegerank.net/amazing-college-observatories