Abbreviation NLO | Website www.normanlockyer.com | |
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Location Sidmouth, United Kingdom Telescopes Lockyer Telescope[*], Kensington Telescope[*], McClean Telescope[*] Address East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Salcombe Hill Rd, Sidmouth EX10 0NY, UK Similar Beer Quarry Caves Ltd, Sidmouth Information Centre, Lyme Regis Museum, Pecorama, Dinosaurl Fossil Museum | ||
The Norman Lockyer Observatory, the Lockyer Technology Centre, and the Planetarium (jointly NLO), is a public access optical observatory in Sidmouth, East Devon on the Jurassic Coast of South West England. It was founded in 1912. The observatory houses a number of historical optical telescopes, including the Lockyer Telescope, and is operated by Norman Lockyer Observatory Society (NLOS).
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Victorian orrery at the norman lockyer observatory
Location
The Norman Lockyer Observatory, the Lockyer Technology Centre and the Planetarium are located near a south facing cliff one mile east of the coastal town of Sidmouth, Devon, fifteen miles southeast of Exeter and ten miles from the M5 motorway.
History
The observatory was founded by Joseph Norman Lockyer in 1912 when he retired to Sidmouth following the closure of the South Kensington Observatory, of which Lockyer was Director. Originally known as Hill Observatory, the observatory was renamed Norman Lockyer Observatory after his death in 1920. Lady Lockyer took a strong interest and made gifts to the observatory. She was elected to the Royal Astronomical Society in 1923.
The Observatory's historic instruments are associated with Lockyer's pioneering work on star temperature which led to theories of stellar evolution and the foundation of astrophysics.
The facility was operated by the University of Exeter between 1948 and 1984. In 1984 East Devon District Council became the owner/trustee of the observatory and after a period of renovation leased it to Norman Lockyer Observatory Society (NLOS) in 1995. An exhibition area and 60-seat planetarium was added in 1996 and a 100-seat convention center for lectures and academic conferences added in 2005. The Connaught Dome, which incorporates Lockyer Technology Centre (the observatory’s radio astronomy facility), was opened in 2012.
The observatory is staffed by volunteers, and is regularly open to the public on specific afternoons and evenings.
Instruments
The observatory provides modern telescopes with computer enhanced imaging, as well as maintaining some of the nation's most historic instruments, and enjoys a relatively dark night sky with a southerly aspect across the sea. There are five domes:
The observatory is particularly well situated for spectral analysis in astronomy, which requires a clear sky over the whole optical spectrum, as it enjoys a relatively "clean" sky to the east and south across the sea. The atmosphere is usually free of air pollution and light pollution and, as the sea has a uniform temperature, the air is also free of rising currents which can distort optical images.
The observatory is active in both optical and radio astronomy and has an astro imaging group, a radio astronomy group, a meteorology and weather satellite facility and a science history group. The Lockyer Technology Centre has the radio call sign MX0LTC, and the observatory's radio call sign is GB2NLO for special events at the observatory.
It cooperates with undergraduate courses of the University of Exeter, the University of Plymouth and the Open Universities, and is available for scientific and educational development projects. The observatory is home to the annual South West Astronomy Fair on the second Saturday in August (2017 = August 12th).
2012 saw the Centenary of the observatory with special commemorative events taking place throughout that year and the opening of the new Connaught Dome (20" reflector) and the Lockyer Technology Centre by Brian May.
The observatory holds a library, including spectral plates. An archive of Lockyer's papers is held at the University of Exeter.
Society
The observatory is home to the astronomical society Norman Lockyer Observatory Society (NLOS), founded in 1995. It is a registered charity with the principal activities of promoting the public understanding of science, technology and astronomy and supporting science education in schools and universities. The facility is financed solely by its membership, private donations and income derived from Public Open Days. No funding is received from national or local government agencies nor does it receive ongoing grants from any organisation.