| Location | Todmorden, Calderdale, West Yorkshire, Yorkshire and the Humber, England |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 53°42′41″N2°09′16″W / 53.7113°N 2.1545°W |
| Established | 1982  |
| Website | www |
  Location of Astronomy Centre | |
The Astronomy Centre, [1] also known as the Amateur Astronomy Centre, [2] is an astronomical observatory located in northern England which is run by experienced amateur astronomers and is open to the public at certain times.
Founded in November 1982 [3] by Peter Drew, Linda Simonian [4] and Rob Miller on the site of a disused factory, [5] high in the Pennines, the Centre provides opportunities for its members, schools, [6] local community groups and the general public [7] to observe [8] and photograph [9] astronomical phenomena at a range of wavelengths during daylight and night hours.
At the time the Centre was conceived, access to equipment and expertise was unavailable for many amateur astronomers in the UK and a national centre would have provided an invaluable focal point. [2] Developments in optical fabrication, photography and communications now permit many visitors and members to complement their home astronomical facilities, skills and experience with those of the Astronomy Centre.
In keeping with the Centres original ethos, besides welcoming visitors to the facility, current members engage off-site with schools, youth organisations and community groups and also provide contributions to national, regional, local print and broadcast media.
The first permanent housing on the site was built to shelter a 17 inches (430 mm) aperture Newtonian telescope. Further construction took the total number of separate telescope mountings to 14 by the end of 2015. [10]
The main observatory tower is a three level 29 feet (8.8 m) round building topped by an aluminium dome with twin 3 feet (0.91 m) sliding doors. [11] Its construction by the members was completed in April 2000.
The largest optical telescope currently in regular use is a 30 inches (760 mm) open truss Newtonian on a mount inspired by the designs of John Dobson. [12] A 42.6 inches (1,080 mm) mirror blank is available for a future enhancement of the facilities but construction of the UK's largest reflector since the destruction of the 98 inches (2,500 mm) original Isaac Newton Telescope at Herstmonceux Castle is currently on hold. [13]
In addition to the permanently mounted 30", 20", 17", 16", 12" and 8" instruments there are fixed locations to allow a number of smaller portable items to be quickly set up if visitor numbers increase on a clear night.
Many of the optical instruments were constructed by telescope maker Peter Drew, who has also provided many other societies and individuals (such as Hoober Observatory) with their equipment. This includes a number of cameras obscura [14] similar to, but smaller than, the one installed on the main Observatory building.
Observational astronomy takes place on weekly open nights, for special events [15] [16] [17] and by special arrangement with keyholders. As well as the basics of visual astronomy visitors can undertake a wide range of more advanced observations guided by volunteers with long experience in safe solar astronomy, infra-red astronomy and radio astronomy.
The Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) is a United States astronomical observatory located on Kitt Peak of the Quinlan Mountains in the Arizona-Sonoran Desert on the Tohono Oʼodham Nation, 88 kilometers (55 mi) west-southwest of Tucson, Arizona. With more than twenty optical and two radio telescopes, it is one of the largest gatherings of astronomical instruments in the Earth's northern hemisphere.
Amateur telescope making is the activity of building telescopes as a hobby, as opposed to being a paid professional. Amateur telescope makers build their instruments for personal enjoyment of a technical challenge, as a way to obtain an inexpensive or personally customized telescope, or as a research tool in the field of astronomy. Amateur telescope makers are usually a sub-group in the field of amateur astronomy.
Astrophotography, also known as astronomical imaging, is the photography or imaging of astronomical objects, celestial events, or areas of the night sky. The first photograph of an astronomical object was taken in 1840, but it was not until the late 19th century that advances in technology allowed for detailed stellar photography. Besides being able to record the details of extended objects such as the Moon, Sun, and planets, modern astrophotography has the ability to image objects outside of the visible spectrum of the human eye such as dim stars, nebulae, and galaxies. This is accomplished through long time exposure as both film and digital cameras can accumulate and sum photons over long periods of time or using specialized optical filters which limit the photons to a certain wavelength.
Palomar Observatory is an astronomical research observatory in the Palomar Mountains of San Diego County, California, United States. It is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Research time at the observatory is granted to Caltech and its research partners, which include the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Yale University, and the National Astronomical Observatories of China.
John Lowry Dobson was an American amateur astronomer and is best known for the Dobsonian telescope, a portable, low-cost Newtonian reflector telescope. He was also known for his efforts to promote awareness of astronomy through public lectures including his performances of "sidewalk astronomy". Dobson was also the co-founder of the amateur astronomical group, the San Francisco Sidewalk Astronomers.
A Dobsonian telescope is an altazimuth-mounted Newtonian telescope design popularized by John Dobson in 1965 and credited with vastly increasing the size of telescopes available to amateur astronomers. Dobson's telescopes featured a simplified mechanical design that was easy to manufacture from readily available components to create a large, portable, low-cost telescope. The design is optimized for observing faint, deep-sky objects such as nebulae and galaxies. This type of observation requires a large objective diameter of relatively short focal length and portability for travel to less light-polluted locations.
Observational astronomy is a division of astronomy that is concerned with recording data about the observable universe, in contrast with theoretical astronomy, which is mainly concerned with calculating the measurable implications of physical models. It is the practice and study of observing celestial objects with the use of telescopes and other astronomical instruments.
The Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, located on Observatory Hill, in Saanich, British Columbia, was completed in 1918 by the Canadian government. The Dominion architect responsible for the building was Edgar Lewis Horwood. The main instrument is the 72-inch-aperture (1.83 m) Plaskett telescope, proposed and designed by John S. Plaskett in 1910 with the support of the International Union for Cooperation in Solar Research.
Andrew Ainslie Common FRS (1841–1903) was an English amateur astronomer best known for his pioneering work in astrophotography.
An astrograph is a telescope designed for the sole purpose of astrophotography. Astrographs are mostly used in wide-field astronomical surveys of the sky and for detection of objects such as asteroids, meteors, and comets.
The Royal Observatory, Edinburgh (ROE) is an astronomical institution located on Blackford Hill in Edinburgh. The site is owned by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). The ROE comprises the UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC) of STFC, the Institute for Astronomy of the School of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Edinburgh, and the ROE Visitor Centre.
Mills Observatory is the first purpose-built public astronomical observatory in the UK, located in Dundee, Scotland. Built in 1935, the observatory is classically styled in sandstone and has a distinctive 7 m dome, which houses a Victorian refracting telescope, a small planetarium, and display areas. The dome is one of two made from papier-mâché to survive in the UK, the other being at the Godlee Observatory.
Sherwood Observatory is an amateur astronomical observatory in Nottinghamshire, England, owned and operated by Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society. The main dome is 6.5 m (21 ft) in diameter and houses a 0.61 m Newtonian reflecting telescope. A club meeting room hosts society meetings and also serves as a lecture theatre for the public on open evenings.
J A Jones Hoober Observatory is a privately owned observatory located in South Yorkshire, England near to the villages of Hoober and Wentworth, 4 miles (6.4 km) North-northwest of Rotherham. It can be found about 300 metres (0.19 mi) east of Hoober Stand. The observatory is owned and operated by Mexborough & Swinton Astronomical Society (NPO).
The Hector J. Robinson Observatory, located in Lincoln Park, Michigan, is an astronomical observatory that features a 14-inch Celestron SCT telescope. After a renovation, the observatory resumed operations in September 2009.
Bayfordbury Observatory is the University of Hertfordshire's astronomical and atmospheric physics remote sensing observatory, and one of the largest teaching observatories in the UK. It is located in the relatively dark countryside of Bayfordbury, Hertfordshire, 6 miles from the main university campus in Hatfield. The first telescope was built in 1969, and since then has been used as a teaching observatory for undergraduate students, staff and student research as well as for public outreach activities.
The ÇOMÜ Ulupınar Observatory (UPO) is a ground-based astronomical observatory, which was established in 2001 and formally opened on 19 May 2002. It is also known as Çanakkale Observatory or the University Observatory. The Ulupınar Observatory is part of the Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University (ÇOMÜ) Faculty of Science and Arts.
The Mount Kobau National Observatory was a proposed astronomical observatory in southern British Columbia, Canada.
The Hampstead Scientific Society (HSS) in north London was founded in July 1899 as the Hampstead Astronomical and General Scientific Society by P.E. Vizard. It aims to be inclusive, promoting and nurturing an interest in all branches of science, while catering for wide levels of knowledge, from layman to expert alike. The society maintains specialist astronomy and meteorology sections and runs a programme of lectures on various scientific topics in the Hampstead area of North West London.
The Linden Observatory Complex is a heritage-listed former observatory and manufacture of optical precision implements and now residence, museum, observatory, education facility and meeting venue located at 91 – 111 Glossop Road, Linden, City of Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed and built by Ken Beames from 1938 to 1948. It is also known as K Beames Engineering Co. The property is owned by the Linden Observatory Trust. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 5 March 2010.
