The SCCC Observatory: Current State and Future Plans by Matt Pappas and Frank Longo
 
Since seeing first light in the spring of 2014, the Suffolk County Community College observatory has faced a number of obstacles that have prevented it from achieving its fullest potential.  Now, after months of concentrated effort, the astronomy faculty are ready to take steps toward integrating the observatory as an educational tool for the college’s astronomy program and the public at large.  In this presentation, Frank Longo will discuss his work getting the observatory into its current operational state, while Matthew Pappas will detail plans for the observatory’s use.
 
Matthew Pappas is an Associate Professor of Astronomy at Suffolk County Community College.  Over the course of his 17 years as a professional astronomer he has performed research on remote observing at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, developed 3D visualizations at Brookhaven National Laboratory, and participated in an exoplanet research workshop at Caltech.  In addition to his teaching duties as an educator, Prof. Pappas provides tours of the Ammerman Campus planetarium to local schools and organizations and delivers presentations on astronomy to audiences across Long Island.
 
Frank Longo is an avid amateur astronomer and former employee at Camera Concepts and Telescope Solutions in Stony Brook, NY.  Since May 2023 Frank has used his extensive knowledge of observing equipment and instrumentation to update the Suffolk County Community College Observatory on the Ammerman Campus.  He has also dedicated his passion and expertise of astrophotography with the students and faculty of the astronomy program, as well as for public and private audiences around Long Island.The SCCC Observatory: Current State and Future Plans by Matt Pappas and Frank Longo