Hoober Observatory
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2009) |
| J A Jones Hoober Observatory | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||
| Organization | Mexborough & Swinton Astronomical Society | ||||
| Location | Rotherham, South Yorkshire | ||||
|
Coordinates
|
|||||
| Altitude | 147.25 metres (483.1 ft) | ||||
| Established | 1993 | ||||
| Website Hoober at MSAS |
|||||
|
|||||
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 owned and operated by Mexborough & Swinton Astronomical Society.
Contents |
[edit] Architecture and design
The observatory consists of a 5 metres (16 ft) square building topped by a 5 metre diameter dome. The observatory was built by the members between 1991 and 1993. Originally the dome was only 4 metres (13 ft) in diameter. In 1999 a major refurbishment of the observatory was completed including a new 5 metre diameter dome, which was designed & built by the members over the preceding 3–4 years.
[edit] Telescopes
The observatory originally contained the Rayna Telescope, an 18 inches (460 mm) newtonian reflector on a fork mount, this was dedicated to long standing member Ray Jackson and his wife Ina. The telescope was built by Peter Drew of the Amateur Astronomy Centre, Todmorden. It was based around a 18 inch f/4.5 parabolic mirror ground by John Owen. Whilst in use the Rayna telescope was the largest telescope open to the public in South Yorkshire.
The observatory currently contains a Takahashi TOA-130F 130 millimetres (5.1 in) f/7.6 apochromatic refractor and a Celestron C14-AF XLT 14 inches (360 mm) f/11 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope on a Software Bisque Paramount goto mount.
Other telescopes include a 60 millimetres (2.4 in) Coronado SolarMax H-alpha telescope on a Vixen GPDX German Equatorial mount with a SkySensor 2000 goto system for Solar Observing.
The society is currently fundraising for a larger telescope to replace the Rayna telescope, the target instrument is a 16 inches (410 mm) Truss f/8.4 Ritchey-Chrétien[1] by RC Optical Systems
[edit] Public access
The society opens the observatory to the public for evening viewing sessions during the winter months, for Solar observing on Sunday afternoons during the summer and for astronomical events e.g. meteor showers or lunar eclipses.
Details are available at the societies website, http://www.msas.org.uk.
The observatory, located off Lea Brook Lane in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, is thirty minutes' drive from central Rotherham, is one hours' drive from central Barnsley and one hours' drive from central Doncaster.
[edit] Hoober Observatory and light pollution
Whilst the observatory is located in an area of countryside with relatively dark skies compared to Mexborough and Swinton, naked eye limiting magnitudes are rarely below magnitude 4.[2]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ RCOS 16 inch Truss
- ^ Campaign to Protect Rural England (2003). "Light Pollution Map: Yorkshire and the Humber" (PDF). http://www.cpre.org.uk/filegrab/light-pollution-map-yh.pdf?ref1755. Retrieved 2009-08-21.[dead link]
[edit] External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hoober Observatory |
