The North Georgia Astronomical Observatory (NGAO) at the University of North Georgia (UNG) is a fully functioning observatory with two Cassegrain-focus telescopes: a 12-in Advanced Coma-Free and a 16-in classic Cassegrain. Each telescope can be equipped with either an Apogee Alta 1k CCD imager and filter wheel combination for photometric observations or a Shelyak Instruments eShel high-resolution fiber-fed echelle spectrograph (R ~ 10 000) for spectroscopic observations.
The NGAO can operate the telescopes concurrently, allowing for simultaneous acquisition of multiband photometric and spectroscopic data. The observatory is unique in the region as it offers an opportunity for undergraduate research and education, as well as community engagement.

In addition to the NGAO, UNG is home to the George E. Coleman Planetarium, a 46-seat facility that has provided public outreach and educational opportunities to the North Georgia region for more than a decade. Through the UNG OPEN program (Observatory-Planetarium Public Education Nights), the planetarium presents educational shows to more than 4800 visitors each year. UNG and the Department of Physics continue to take advantage of the recent upgrades to the facility including new lighting and the purchase of a DigiStar 5 Full Dome Digital Planetarium Projector. The DigiStar is a highly flexible system that provides a detailed simulation of the night sky as seen from anywhere on Earths surface, at any time of night, and during any epoch from the ancient past to the far future. Furthermore, the DigiStar system can âliftâ you off the surface of the Earth and display the sky as seen from anywhere in the Solar System, our Milky Way Galaxy, or from the vantage point of distant galaxies, including ones beyond the edge of the observable Universe.

As with any planetarium projector, the five naked-eye planets, the sun, and the moon can be projected in their correct positions on the celestial sphere. Daily and annual motion of the stars, planets, Moon (with phases), and Sun provide an invaluable teaching aid for understanding the basic celestial motions and their connection to time and the seasons. However, DigiStars capabilities go orders of magnitude beyond these traditional planetarium pedagogies and into the realm of all the sciences. The Digital Universe database, full-dome video presentations, and Science on a Sphere (an exciting database that includes global atmospheric, geo-physical, solar, and planetary science) transform the planetarium into a powerful and inspiring teaching technology. The planetarium becomes an immersive theater (think IMAX on the half-shell) and can project full-dome video presentations with breathtaking imagery. Access to the World Wide Web enables the planetarium presentations to incorporate the latest imagery, data, and video from the astronomical community, NASA, and UNGâs own observatory.

The OPEN program invites the public planetarium show attendees to the NGAO each night after the show. On clear evenings, about half of the planetarium audience typically goes to the observatory to view the night sky. This successful program provides education in the space sciences to thousands of people each year.

This NGAO Resident Observer program provides funds to hire an undergraduate student to act as a resident observer whose duties would include: acting as a teaching assistant and telescope operator for the introductory astronomy courses, engaging with the local community during nightly public observing sessions (coordinating with UNGs planetarium shows), and performing astronomical research using the telescopes and instruments at the NGAO. The proposed research will primarily focus on determining the fundamental properties of stars in eclipsing binary systems by taking advantage of NGAOs ability to simultaneously acquire multiband time-series photometric images and high resolution spectra.