Reaching for the Stars: UBC Students Explore the Universe with Thunderbird South

October 2, 2025
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Thunderbird South operators, Sharon Chan, Andrea Schildhorn and Chantal Hemmann.

UBC PHAS (Physics & Astronomy) students are gaining hands-on experience in astrophotography and observational astronomy through remote operation of Thunderbird South, a professional-grade telescope located in Chile’s Andes Mountains. Operated from over 8,000 km away, this unique system connects students directly to the skies from a mountaintop at 5,590 ft (1,700 m) elevation, roughly 75 km southeast of La Serena. The site's dry, stable air and dark, clear skies make it an ideal location for astronomical observation.

Each semester, two undergraduate students serve as primary operators of the telescope, participating in real scientific research, capturing astrophotography, and exploring ways to increase student involvement with the observatory. The telescope can be run both remotely and autonomously, offering a glimpse of modern data collection to PHAS undergraduates.     

 

A New Chapter in UBC Astronomy

Thunderbird South is the evolution of the original UBC Southern Observatory (USO), a project led by Professor Aaron Boley, with Professors Paul Hickson and Harvey Richer. Originally housed at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), the telescope was relocated to DeepSkyChile, a private facility near CTIO, to explore new opportunities with local support.

With the help of an NSERC Research Tools and Infrastructure grant, the USO telescope was revitalized and renamed Thunderbird South. While it retains the original camera and filter wheels, nearly every other component—from the mount to the control interface—is new. However, the purpose of the telescope remains the same: providing UBC students and researchers a resource for astronomical data collection for projects and education.

 

What Makes Great Astrophotography?

According to Prof. Hickson, capturing stunning astrophotography is about aligning several key factors: a high-quality site, precise tracking, excellent optics, and a high-performance camera. Good image processing is equally essential—removing artifacts, correcting bad pixels, and refining the data based on the scientific goals.

To find out more about this project, we asked current student operators Sharon Chan, Chantal Hemmann, and Andrea Schildhorn to share their insights and experiences:

What makes great astrophotography?

Sharon: In my opinion, a great astrophotography image depends heavily on technical execution, especially in terms of noise control and post-processing. Noise is a critical factor; regardless of the Bortle scale of the imaging site, it is important to minimize noise as much as possible. This means using proper calibration frames like darks, flats, and biases, but just as importantly, making full use of post-processing tools to further clean up the data. Another important aspect is the level of detail captured in the stellar structures. Achieving this requires long integration times and careful stacking. The more data collected, the more depth and structure can be revealed, especially in faint regions like nebulae or galaxy arms. Finally, the color curve plays a big role. Although color is subjective and every imager has their preferences, it is important to develop a consistent approach to color and tone across images. This helps maintain coherence in one’s portfolio and reflects a level of control over the data.
 

From the Classroom to the Cosmos

What’s it like to work on Thunderbird South?

Chantal: “Since I first joined the team in October 2023, I’ve had the pleasure of working on several projects, such as detecting exoplanet transits, characterizing rocket bodies, and most recently, imaging 3i, the third interstellar object ever discovered!”

Sharon: “I started astrophotography back in high school using my dad’s telescope, and I never would’ve imagined that as an undergrad, I’d be remotely operating a 0.5-meter telescope in Chile. 

Chantal: “Operating Thunderbird South has allowed me to consistently feel connected to and driven with my work - it’s a constant reminder that this is the kind of work I love to do, and that I’m in the right place at UBC. This work has also opened many doors for getting involved even beyond UBC, including with the IAU CPS and near-simultaneous observations with Palomar Observatory. Not only is this a fantastic chance to start building the fundamental toolkit required for research in the field, it has also made my transition into other research positions significantly easier: I can skip the basics and get right to the interesting work. The best part is, this work is not only interesting, but important as well: as we are in an age wherein companies are all vying to establish their own Low-Earth Orbit mega-constellations, the night sky is changing. Skies are marred by countless satellites and chunks of space debris that impact ground-based observations and pose collisional risks. With Thunderbird South, we are able to characterize these satellites, thereby contributing to a deeper understanding of the current orbital state, and advocating for the safe and sustainable use of our limited orbital capacity.”

 

Opening Doors in Astronomy

Andrea emphasizes the accessibility of the opportunity:

"It’s hard to get paid work in astronomy without experience. Thunderbird South actively recruits undergrads every semester, giving us that critical first step. For me, it’s been an entry point into what guided, independent research really looks like.”

She highlights the telescope’s dual capabilities, astrophotography and scientific data collection and the chance to dive into real research projects:

“Whether it's improving exoplanet transit data or testing the telescope’s limits, the learning curve is steep but exciting. And it’s all incredibly fulfilling.”

 

Why This Work Matters

Beyond training students, Thunderbird South contributes to ongoing topics of interest in space science. Students may work with plotting exoplanet transits, characterizing anomalous astronomical objects and more!     

Sharon: “Our work at Thunderbird South may not be groundbreaking on a global scale, but it is useful and contributes to the foundation of astronomical observation. By learning how to operate a telescope, capture astrophotography, document exoplanet transits, and support space domain awareness research, we are participating in processes that are essential to the broader field.”
 

Eyes on the Future

We asked the students about their aspirations and how Thunderbird South is shaping their paths.

Andrea: “My dream is to work in instrumental cosmology. I want to help answer the big questions: What happened after the Big Bang?... I think that Thunderbird South has provided me an encouraging glimpse into working in the field, and affirmed what I had expected: that it’s insanely cool. Working with the telescope has reminded me of my capabilities and encouraged me to dive deep into the world of astronomy, giving it my all.”


Get Involved

Beyond telescope operation, Thunderbird South acts as a platform for student discovery, learning, and empowerment. It demonstrates that hands-on research is possible, even early in an academic career. Every semester, new students are invited to participate, bringing fresh perspectives and ideas to the project.

If you're passionate about imaging nebulae, chasing exoplanets, or just keen to get some experience in astronomy research, Thunderbird South may be your next project!
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Interested in joining the team or learning more about UBC Astronomy opportunities? Reach out to the PHAS department to get involved with Thunderbird South.
 

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