Herstmonceux - Sussex
http://www.the-observatory.org/default.html
Duration: 10 hours
This was the home of the Royal Observatory after it moved out of Greenwich in the 1950s. The Observatory was closed in 1990, but the six domes that make up the Equatorial Group, and four of their telescopes, have been restored. We will have a guided tour of the telescopes, which are all different – they include a 4-mirror coudé reflector, a hundred-year-old 26 inch (65 cm) refractor with a moving floor, and another refractor, whose lens is said to have been used during the eclipse of the Sun in Brazil in 1919 – the first observation to vindicate Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. There is also a huge, and growing, collection of educational “hands-on” exhibits which appeal to both adults and children alike.
We will also be visiting the nearby Laser Ranging System (part of the NERC Space Geodesy Facility) which tracks satellites using a powerful laser; it can not only work out exactly where satellites are (essential for GPS) but can also calculate where the Earth is, and detect such things as movements due to plate tectonics. There is also an interferometer for making very accurate measurements of gravity; it is so sensitive that it can detect an earthquake on the other side of the planet (see http://nercslr.nmt.ac.uk/slr_info.html for more information).
Finally we will have a tour of Herstmonceux Castle, a beautiful 15th Century moated castle which housed the Astronomer Royal when the observatory was in use. (see http://www.herstmonceux-castle.com/grdframe.htm for more information).