The Royal Observatory Greenwich will study the starry sky again - after a 60-year break!
According to the reports of BBC, the new telescopes were installed at the Altazimuth Pavilion.
This recently restored building is an architectural monument. It is built in the late of 19th century.
The object will be named after Annie Maunder - one of the first women in the science team of the Royal Observatory. She gained her popularity through the work on the investigation of the Sun. New equipment can be used by astronomers and university students, as well as amateurs, including schoolchildren. The Royal Observatory was founded in 1675 by the order of King Charles II. The main purpose of it was to engage in drawing maps of the starry sky for orientation of mariners.
The scientific activity of the observatory is almost three hundred years old. In 1957 the decision was made to transfer it to the countryside through the London smog and light pollution. But for now the air has become cleaner and the technology has significantly advanced, astronomers have the opportunity to receive the high-quality images of the starry sky directly from the British capital.
Total sum collected for the project was 150 thousand pounds (about 200 thousand dollars). Thanks to these funds, the Altazimuth Pavilion, which was in need of major repairs, was restored. This is a beautiful Victorian building, which was seriously damaged by bombing during the Second World War.
The appearance was restored when the observatory became a museum, but the restoration was not brought to an end, and eventually, the brickwork began to collapse, there was a strong dampness inside it. When the decision about the restoration was made, the British could confine themselves to the museum, but they realized in time that there was a great opportunity to make a modern observatory. It needs some time for the equipment to run at full capacity. Now, the negotiations with universities on who could use the observatory for their research in the best way are underway.
According to the established tradition, there is a chance for the Observatory to attract the public as much as possible: the images taken with the help of a telescope will be posted on the Internet, the received materials will be transferred to the educational institutions, the seminars also will be held and on the first floor of the pavilion the exhibition devoted to the life of Annie Maunder will be.