Universal joy as new facilities let public gaze deep into stars
OBSERVATORY SURPRISES EVEN ITS OWN CEO WITH ITS POPULARITY
VISITORS are set to enjoy even more stunning views of outer space thanks to new facilities at Kielder Observatory.
The stargazing site celebrated its 10th anniversary yesterday with the opening of a new observatory, for education and cutting-edge research.
The £250,000 Gillian Dickinson Astroimaging Academy contains two telescopes specially designed to take photographs of stars and galaxies thousands or millions of light years away.
Astronomer Daniel Monk said the spectacular images help inspire people to learn about space and the stars.
And he said the pictures can also be closely analysed by scientists, for example, to help locate planets orbiting far-away stars.
Daniel said: “I’ve worked here for four years and I never get bored of the reactions, the gasps, when you show people a constellation, or even the moon, through the telescope for the first time.
“With the new observatory, we will have even more of that, we’ll be able to run more focused events that will get more in-depth on certain topics, or maybe even doing more simple things like learning how to navigate the night sky.”
When he opened the site, founder and CEO Gary Fildes said no-one could have predicted its popularity.
He said: “The brief at the time, to satisfy the funders, was to have 200 to 300 people visit a year.
“So off we went, laying on the events, and it didn’t take long before it became clear this place was going to be hugely popular.”
Since then, more than 80,000 people have visited, with stargazing sessions regularly fully booked.
The new observatory will boost capacity for events and enable entire groups to see live images beamed from the telescopes at the same time.
Gary said: “The new observatory will be dedicated to teaching, learning and research.
“We want to enthuse the next generation about astronomy and let them see, first hand, the amazing world around them.
“In an age where many of us are looking down at computers, phones and games consoles, this is a chance to look up and marvel at the universe.”
The observatory sits within the Northumberland International Dark Sky Park in Kielder Forest, Europe’s largest area of protected dark sky.
Northumberland County Council leader Peter Jackson said: “The original observatory has been such a fantastic success, so it’s really good to see them build on that success with an absolutely fantastic facility which will not only draw visitors from across the country but also offer an amazing educational resource for young people.”