Martens Observatory

On a Friday in November of 2013, the Physics and Astrophysics department held a ceremony at the Gorecki Alumni Center to celebrate their fully operational telescope donated by UND alumnus Erwin Martens. Martens, who holds a mater’s degree in economics, donated the telescope in the name of a favorite astronomy professor, Olen Krauss.

Martens-Krauss Telescope

• PlaneWave 0.5m diameter (20 in)
• f/6.8 mm focal length
• Corrected Dall-Kirkham (CDK)

Projects

• Exoplanets follow-up
• Supernovae searches and follow-up light curves
• Asteroid rotations and astrometry
• Variable star light curves

Timeline

• 2011 Erwin Martens donation supports new observatory.
• 2012 Land acquired near Inkster, ND.
• 2012 Cement and construction of Dome
• 2013 Construction of mount and raising telescope.
• 2014 First images captured.