University Lowbrow Astronomers – A Down-to-Earth Group Who Reach for the Stars

Photo: Rosette Nebula. Courtesy of Craig Reynolds

Do you love to gaze at the night sky and marvel at the stars? Would you love to learn more about astronomy or even hang out with like-minded astronomy geeks? If you said yes to any of those questions, check out the University Lowbrow Astronomers. Their home base is at the Peach Mountain Observatory located on North Territorial Road about four miles north of Dexter, on land owned by the University of Michigan’s Astronomy Department.

The Observatory was first used for research work by the University of Michigan. Around 1979, the observatory no longer needed its optical telescope, and the University of Michigan agreed to grant access to a newly formed group of amateur astronomers known as the University Lowbrow Astronomers. The Lowbrows refurbished the telescope, and since then, they have maintained and operated it.

We Are a Friendly Group and Like to Answer Questions

Meet Charlie Nielsen, Lowbrows Astronomy Association President. He talks about his interest in astronomy when he was a child, but “there was a long time after that I was not very active in the hobby. Astronomy started calling me again, and that was when I discovered the University Lowbrow Astronomers. I took my son to an open house, and we were blown away by the activity, resources, and people we met. I joined the club very shortly thereafter.”

Charlie encourages astronomy buffs to come to their free open houses. “We are a friendly group and like to answer questions or offer advice about purchasing a telescope. We often see novices buying low quality equipment or jumping in too deep too soon which often results in them becoming frustrated and losing interest. My advice is to hold off until you check some out at the open house. We can help prevent that. And you will see and learn about the night sky through different telescopes.”

The open houses also feature interesting speakers on assorted topics – including the likes of astronaut Jack Lousma, who became a friend of Charlie’s. Charlie says, “When the famous words ‘Houston, we have a problem’ came down, they were talking directly to Jack. He is a really nice guy, has a great sense of humor, and is ridiculously humble.”

Saturn Gets the Most WOWs

Charlie shares one of his favorite stories at the open house. “Saturn gets the most ‘WOW’s of any object we show people. It is so distinct, we are often asked if we are tricking them. I even had a couple of times where someone looked at the front end of the telescope to see if I had something attached to it. There is something about those rings.”

The Lowbrows offer many different types of activities besides their open houses, which include star parties for high schoolers, “Sidewalk Astronomy” – viewing the evening sky in an urban setting, and “Astronomy on the Beach” – an annual star party at a local state park beach.

We Are Connected with the Universe

When asked to share his favorite astronomy photo, Charlie quips, “There are so many that I could call my favorite that I don’t have ‘one’.”  However, Charlie does mention Andromeda, “not just because of its beauty, it is also the thoughts and questions it can provoke, as it contains an estimated 300 billion stars. I use this to explain how we really are connected with the universe while also instilling a sense of how large it is.” In fact, Charlie explains that Andromeda is so large and far away that if you waved at them, it would take 2.5 million light-years before they saw it.

So come on out to Peach Mountain and set your sights on the stars. And go ahead and wave at a neighboring galaxy – you never know if they have been waving back.

For a list of University Lowbrow activities go to https://lowbrows.club/activities and click on an activity

For information on University Lowbrow open houses go to https://lowbrows.club/open-house-guidelines  

For information on how the Lowbrows can assist activities at your school go to https://lowbrows.club/schools

For information on the annual Astronomy on the Beach this September 26 and 27, go to www.glaac.org