Bayfordbury Observatory

Last updated

Bayfordbury Observatory
Bayfordbury campus (27115264794).jpg
Optical domes of the observatory
Organization University of Hertfordshire
Observatory code J33
Location Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
Coordinates 51°46′30″N00°05′40″W / 51.77500°N 0.09444°W / 51.77500; -0.09444
Altitude66 metres (217 ft)
Established1969 (1969)
Website Bayfordbury Observatory
Telescopes
60cm TelescopePlanewave CDK24
J.C.D. Marsh Telescope20" Cassegrain
C.R. Kitchin TelescopeRobotic 16" Meade LX200GPS
I.K.M. Nicolson TelescopeRobotic 16" Meade LX200
R. Priddey TelescopeRobotic 16" Meade LX200-ACF
J. Hough TelescopeRobotic 16" Meade LX200-ACF
R.W. Forrest Telescope4.5m radio telescope
Vince Telescope1860s 6.75" refractor
United Kingdom relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Location of Bayfordbury Observatory
  Commons-logo.svg Related media on Commons

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.

Contents

History

The first telescope, a 16-inch Newtonian/Cassegrain telescope, was built on the site in 1969, one year after astronomy was first taught at the Hatfield Polytechnic. In 1970 the observatory was formally opened by Richard van der Riet Woolley, then Astronomer Royal. Over the years the number of telescopes has increased along with the size of astronomy department.

On the 30th anniversary in 2000, the observatory underwent a large renovation. Three new telescope domes and a 4.5m radio telescope were built, as well as a control building, opened and named after Sir Patrick Moore, from where the computer-controlled telescopes can be operated and images analysed. [1]

Astronomical observatory

The observatory has seven permanently mounted main optical telescopes, the first being the 20-inch J.C.D Marsh Cassegrain Telescope, and the largest is a Planewave CDK24 24-inch telescope. The other telescopes include four equatorially mounted, robotic 16-inch Meade LX200s as well as a 14-inch Meade LX200. These telescopes are equipped with research-grade CCD and CMOS cameras, spectrographs and video cameras. A number of smaller telescopes are co-mounted to the main telescopes to act as guidescopes, widefield telescopes or H-alpha solar telescopes.

As well as using optical wavelengths, the observatory also has extensive radio astronomy capabilities. The largest radio telescope is the 4.5m R.W. Forrest telescope which is used for receiving the 21cm Hydrogen line and continuum emission. A further three 3m radio telescopes are soon to operate together as a 115 metre baseline interferometer. [2]

A nearby university science building houses a planetarium used during open evenings and groups visits. The roof of the building hosts a number of the observatory's sensing equipment including a Sky Quality Meter for quantifying levels of light pollution, a coelostat for observing the Sun, and day and night-time all-sky cameras - two of six the university operates throughout the UK. [3]

The university organises a variety of public outreach events including monthly open evenings from October till March and group visits for school classes and community groups. [4]

Atmospheric physics remote sensing

Since 2010 the observatory has also grown to serve as a remote sensing station for the university's Centre for Atmospheric & Instrumentation Research. A former telescope dome now houses a remotely operable mount with a micropulse LIDAR/ceilometer, ultra-sensitive Sun polarimeter and a cirrus-detecting infrared pyrometer, with further plans to add an infrared spectropolarimeter in the near-future.

The roof of the nearby science building also hosts an automatic Sun photometer and lunar photometer as part of the NASA AERONET network, a scanning infrared radiometer, a pyrgeometer and pyranometer, as well as day and night-time all-sky cameras. [5]

51°46′30″N00°05′40″W / 51.77500°N 0.09444°W / 51.77500; -0.09444

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Kingdom Infrared Telescope</span> Infrared reflecting telescope in Hawaii

The United Kingdom Infra-Red Telescope (UKIRT) is a 3.8 metre (150 inch) infrared reflecting telescope, the second largest dedicated infrared telescope in the world. It is located on Mauna Kea, Hawai'i as part of Mauna Kea Observatory. Until 2014 it was operated by the Joint Astronomy Centre in Hilo. It was owned by the United Kingdom Science and Technology Facilities Council. UKIRT is currently being funded by NASA and operated under scientific cooperation between Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center, the University of Hawaii, and the U. S. Naval Observatory. The telescope is set to be decommissioned after completion of the Thirty Meter Telescope as part of the Mauna Kea Comprehensive Management Plan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Wilson Observatory</span> Astronomical observatory in Los Angeles County, California, USA

The Mount Wilson Observatory (MWO) is an astronomical observatory in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The MWO is located on Mount Wilson, a 5,710-foot (1,740-meter) peak in the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, northeast of Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apache Point Observatory</span> Observatory

The Apache Point Observatory is an astronomical observatory located in the Sacramento Mountains in Sunspot, New Mexico, United States, approximately 18 miles (29 km) south of Cloudcroft. The observatory is operated by New Mexico State University (NMSU) and owned by the Astrophysical Research Consortium (ARC). Access to the telescopes and buildings is private and restricted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stardome Observatory</span> Astronomical observatory and planetarium in Auckland, New Zealand

Stardome Observatory & Planetarium is a public astronomical observatory and planetarium situated in Maungakiekie/One Tree Hill Domain in Auckland, New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayfordbury</span>

Bayfordbury, Hertfordshire, is a large Grade II* listed country house with surrounding parkland, and the location of a University of Hertfordshire campus, housing its biology/geography field station and observatory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Astronomical Observatory</span> Astronomy station in Hanle, India

The Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) is a high-altitude astronomy station located in Hanle, India and operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics. Situated in the Western Himalayas at an elevation of 4,500 meters (14,764 ft), the IAO is one of the world's highest located sites for optical, infrared and gamma-ray telescopes. It is currently the tenth highest optical telescope in the world.

The Fick Observatory was an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Iowa State University. Located southwest of Boone, Iowa, it was named after Davenport, Iowa, amateur astronomer Erwin W. Fick. The observatory closed in 2015.

UNA Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the University of North Alabama. It is located in Florence, Alabama (USA). It has 2 telescopes, a Celestron 0.35 m Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope. The UNA Planetarium is a 65-seat planetarium with a Spitz A3P projector and East Cost Control Systems controller.

The William G. and Retha Stone Baker Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Missouri State University. It is located in Marshfield, Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C. Donald Shane telescope</span> 120-inch reflecting telescope

The C. Donald Shane telescope is a 120-inch (3.05-meter) reflecting telescope located at the Lick Observatory in San Jose, California. It was named after astronomer C. Donald Shane in 1978, who led the effort to acquire the necessary funds from the California Legislature, and who then oversaw the telescope's construction. It is the largest and most powerful telescope at the Lick Observatory, and was the second-largest optical telescope in the world when it was commissioned in 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium</span>

The Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium is located on the grounds of the Brisbane Botanic Gardens in the suburb of Mount Coot-tha, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The Planetarium was officially opened on 24 May 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michigan State University Observatory</span> Observatory

Michigan State University Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Michigan State University. It is located south of the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing, Michigan (USA), near the corner of Forest Rd and College Rd. It has a Cassegrain telescope in its single dome. Built by Boller and Chivens, the Michigan State University telescope was commissioned in 1969 and entered regular operation in 1970. In 1974, what was at the time a state-of-the-art Raytheon Microcomputer was installed to function as a data gathering and control system. Originally, single channel photoelectric photometry and photography using plates or film were the means of acquiring data. The observatory was closed from 1981 until 1986, at a time when the university was having financial difficulties. It was reopened in the spring of 1986 on the occasion of the return of Comet Halley and has been in regular operation ever since. Since the 1980s, a CCD camera has been employed as the main instrument and the Raytheon computer has been retired. The International Astronomical Union has assigned the MSU Observatory identification code 766.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman Lockyer Observatory</span> Observatory

The Norman Lockyer Observatory, the Lockyer Technology Centre, and the Planetarium, is a public access optical observatory 1 mile (1.6 km) east of Sidmouth, East Devon in South West England. It houses a number of historical optical telescopes, including the Lockyer Telescope, and is operated by Norman Lockyer Observatory Society (NLOS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Givatayim Observatory</span> Astronomical observatory in Israel

The Givatayim Observatory is a public observatory that was founded in 1968 by the Israeli Astronomical Association and the Givatayim municipality.

The SUNY Oneonta Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Oneonta, New York, home to the state's largest optical telescope and one of the largest publicly open east of the Mississippi, a one-meter Newtonian reflector constructed by JMI Telescopes of Lakewood, Colorado.

Mount Burnett Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Mount Burnett, Victoria, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ÇOMÜ Ulupınar Observatory</span> Observatory

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ankara University Observatory</span> Observatory

The Ankara University Observatory (AUG), is a ground-based astronomical observatory operated by the Astronomy and Space Sciences Department at Ankara University's Faculty of Science. Established in 1959 by Dutch astronomer Egbert Adriaan Kreiken in Ahlatlıbel, Ankara. Currently, it consists of nine optical telescopes and a radio telescope, which is currently taken out of service. Old instruments are displayed in a museum at the observatory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ege University Observatory</span> Observatory

The Ege University Observatory is a ground-based astronomical observatory operated by the Astronomy and Space Sciences Department at Ege University's Faculty of Science. Formally opened on June 22, 1965, it is located in Kurudağ at Buca district, 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Izmir in western Turkey. The telescope domes of the observatory are situated at an altitude of 800 m (2,600 ft) while the main building is erected at 632 m (2,073 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prairie Observatory</span> Observatory

The Prairie Observatory was constructed near Oakland, Illinois by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Department of Astronomy. The site was adjacent to Walnut Point State Park and provided an accessible but dark sky site only 35 miles from campus. The telescope went into operation in January 1969 and closed on April 1, 1981. In late 2023, the building was demolished by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources due to hazards the building posed to public health.

References

  1. "History of the Observatory".[ permanent dead link ]
  2. "Telescopes".
  3. "Bayfordbury Observatory". Archived from the original on 7 April 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  4. "Visit Bayfordbury Observatory". Archived from the original on 23 May 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  5. "Atmospheric observations".[ permanent dead link ]