By Ian Whitely, chair of the Save Herstmonceux Observatory marketing campaign
Because the September challenge of Astronomy Now went to press, we’ve heard that the lease to the Observatory Science Centre (OSC), Herstmonceux has been prolonged for 10 years.
The announcement, on 18 August, follows a 12 months of uncertainty after Queen’s College Canada declared that the lease to the present operators of the science centre, Science Initiatives, wouldn’t be renewed after December 2026. Now, a ten-year prolonged lease has been agreed between Science Initiatives and Bader School (for Queen’s College Canada).
The positioning, at Herstmonceux Citadel Property, is a crucial UK science heritage location and former dwelling to the Royal Greenwich Observatory. It’s the place the primary stellar mass black gap was found and the place it was first decided that supermassive black holes on the centres of galaxies powered quasars. Its six copper domes, lily pond and three working RGO telescopes make it a novel astronomy web site.
Within the 30 years that Science Initiatives have held the lease, they’ve refurbished and maintained the domes and telescopes, and turned what was a derelict web site right into a hand-on studying facility that draws 60,000 guests a 12 months. It’s a valued centre for STEM studying and is well-loved by households, in addition to by training and astronomy communities.
If you wish to have fun this information with the OSC, it’s fantastic workers and volunteers, why not go to their annual Astronomy Pageant on 29-31 August?
Look out for September’s challenge of Astronomy Now – on sale 21 August (bookmark our store right here) – for Ian’s full historical past of Herstmonceux: the observatory that moved to a fortress.
Ian Whiteley is chair of the Save Herstmonceux Observatory marketing campaign, a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, and an OSC volunteer.
