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Public DIY observatories in the UK


Shed9

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Appreciate this section of the forum is DIY building but in a way this topic still is DIY to some extent, if this is incorrectly placed, apologies admin and please move.

As in the title heading, and as an aside but loosely related to my own observatory builds, I have been working behind the scenes to look into the possibility of bringing a large public observatory / planetarium to West Wales.  Based on my previous job, I have good links to local authorities across Wales, including the relevant parts of Welsh Government, and have a good experience of bid writing within that context.  I'm not looking at anything overly grand, something similar to the OM observatory in the Davagh Forest in Northern Ireland.  

The plan is to find suitable land, engage with the relevant local authority and then look for a mix of private and public investment to build and run the site.  I've gotten some way down this path, but wondered if anyone else done anything similar in the UK?

 

 

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1 hour ago, callump said:

You mean something like The Spaceguard Centre https://spaceguardcentre.com

C.

Similar but a bit more generalised in astronomy and open to day and evening / night tours, more aligned to the the idea behind the OM Observatory  up there ^.  I like the simplicity of the OM setup, it's a scope and mount you can buy off the shelf with a simple roll off roof giving access to the sky.   It doesn't have to be high end scopes under bespoke metal domes, that could come later if that is warranted and their is deemed value in that progression.  Also, the grounds are just as geared towards sky watching as the equipment indoors.  I think a simple setup with a basic but good set of scopes (including solar), outdoor space, and some form of planetarium could be achievable. 

edit:  just to clarify the purpose of this thread, I'm not being altruistic in my intent here, my point is that if such a resource existed then I'd use it and encourage people I know who are either already astronomy minded or not.  I'm looking to see if there is anything I can learn from anyone who may have done something similar, perhaps not necessarily astronomy based but setting up a public resource from scratch.  

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8 hours ago, Shed9 said:

Appreciate this section of the forum is DIY building but in a way this topic still is DIY to some extent, if this is incorrectly placed, apologies admin and please move.

As in the title heading, and as an aside but loosely related to my own observatory builds, I have been working behind the scenes to look into the possibility of bringing a large public observatory / planetarium to West Wales.  Based on my previous job, I have good links to local authorities across Wales, including the relevant parts of Welsh Government, and have a good experience of bid writing within that context.  I'm not looking at anything overly grand, something similar to the OM observatory in the Davagh Forest in Northern Ireland.  

The plan is to find suitable land, engage with the relevant local authority and then look for a mix of private and public investment to build and run the site.  I've gotten some way down this path, but wondered if anyone else done anything similar in the UK?

High Legh Astronomical Society in Cheshire have built themselves an observatory, as have the Mansfield and District AS. The latter have gained funding to expand their observatory site to include a Discovery Centre and a Planetarium. 

Either or both may be able to give you advice  

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Thanks all for the links, I'll look into these.  I'll update whatever direction this takes, whether that's successful in any shape or if it falls flat (and the reasons behind either scenario).  I'm also trying to get others involved in the area as I'm being realistic, this won't go far if I'm the only one who wants to bring it to the region, it needs engagement and if that's not there I'm not going to keep flogging the thing.  Thank you all. 

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