Thunderbird South: UBC’s Southern Observatory
Thunderbird South is a half-meter telescope located near La Serena, Chile, remotely operated by UBC Astronomy students Sharon Chan and Andrea Schildhorn. The telescope is predominantly used for deep-sky imaging, on-demand observing, and space domain awareness research.
Recent Observations
Live Telescope Status: Sleeping.
| Date | Target Objects | Note | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 March 2025 | M8 (Lagoon Nebula) | Astrophotography – Nebulae | Post-processing done |
| 28 March 2025 | WASP-167 b | Exoplanet Transit | Post-processing in progress |
| 28 March 2025 | NGC 3576 (Statue of Liberty Nebula) | Astrophotography – Nebulae | Post-processing done |
| 30 March 2025 | WASP-142 b | Exoplanet Transit | In queue for post-processing |
| 31 March 2025 | WASP-142 b | Exoplanet Transit | In queue for post-processing |
| 2 April 2025 | TOI-564 b | Exoplanet Transit | Post-processing in progress |
Gallery
Our very own images of galaxies, nebulae, and other deep-sky objects
Projects
Read about our initiatives for exoplanet transit follow-up, space domain awareness, and Earth-space sustainability
Thunder Notes
An inside blog view of telescope operations, ranging from working processes of successful observations to technical mysteries such as “it was working fine yesterday.”