Bayfordbury Observatory

Bayfordbury Observatory

Optical domes of the observatory
Organization	University of Hertfordshire
Code	J33
Location	Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
Coordinates	51°46′30″N 00°05′40″W / 51.77500°N 0.09444°W / 51.77500; -0.09444
Altitude	66 metres (217 ft)
Established	1969 (1969)
Website	Bayfordbury Observatory
Telescopes
J.C.D. Marsh Telescope 20" Cassegrain C.R. Kitchin Telescope Robotic 16" Meade LX200GPS I.K.M. Nicolson Telescope Robotic 16" Meade LX200 R. Priddey Telescope Robotic 16" Meade LX200-ACF D. Axon Telescope Robotic 16" Meade LX200 J. Hough Telescope Robotic 16" Meade LX200-ACF R.W. Forrest Telescope 4.5m radio telescope Vince Telescope 1860s 6.75" refractor
[]

Bayfordbury Observatory is the University of Hertfordshire's astronomical and atmospheric physics remote sensing observatory, and one of the largest teaching observatories in the UK. It is located in the relatively dark countryside of Bayfordbury, Hertfordshire, 6 miles from the main university campus in Hatfield. The first telescope was built in 1969, and since then has been used as a teaching observatory for undergraduate students, staff and student research as well as for public outreach activities.

The first telescope, a 16-inch Newtonian/Cassegrain telescope, was built on the site in 1969, one year after astronomy was first taught at the Hatfield Polytechnic. In 1970 the observatory was formally opened by Richard van der Riet Woolley, then Astronomer Royal. Over the years the number of telescopes has increased along with the size of astronomy department.

On the 30th anniversary in 2000, the observatory underwent a large renovation. Three new telescope domes and a 4.5m radio telescope were built, as well as a control building, opened and named after Sir Patrick Moore, from where the computer-controlled telescopes can be operated and images analysed.

The observatory has seven permanently mounted main optical telescopes, the first and largest being the 20-inch J.C.D Marsh Cassegrain Telescope. The other telescopes include five equatorially mounted, robotic 16-inch Meade LX200s as well as a 14-inch Meade LX200. These telescopes are equipped with research-grade CCD cameras, spectrographs, video cameras and a high-sensitivity Lucky imaging camera. A number of smaller telescopes are co-mounted to the main telescopes to act as guidescopes, widefield telescopes or H-alpha solar telescopes.