Keele University Observatory

[CheshireChris]

Last Tuesday (17/9) was a clear(ish) night so l decided to go to the weekly Open Night at the Keele University Observatory. It's about 45 mins away from where l live, What a pleasant few hours that was: had views of the Moon, Saturn+its moons and briefly the Ring Nebula. The 150 year old Oxford Telescope is a wonderful piece of equipment. The observatory staff were great fun and very enthusiastic. The other scope was busy watching T Coronae Borealis for any activity; that rig is also very impressive with some unique equipment to run it. They also have an impressive collection of old telescopes: some operational, some not.

What l was impressed with was how busy it was. I expecting perhaps a few people but there must have been 20 or 30 (wasn't really counting) visitors through the evening: some with children and one family with a young lad who has Down's Syndrome - he thought it was fantastic and it was a joy to see him look through the scope.

Well worth the visit.

Chris

 

[skyhog]

That sounds great Chris. I've just spent time looking through their website, definitely like to visit if I'm ever in the area. Not many folk will have had the opportunity to view through a 12 inch refractor that's for sure. I always wonder how this compares to modern instruments. 

Thanks for posting.

[Carbon Brush]

That sounds like a great place to visit. Thank you for posting.
Rather more than a 45 minute drive for me though🤔