Lockyer Observatory and Planetarium
The Norman Lockyer Observatory in 2010, showing the Mond Dome
|
|
| Alternative names | NLO 
|
|---|---|
| Location |
Sidmouth, United Kingdom
|
| Coordinates | 50°41′17″N 3°13′11″W / 50.68803°N 3.219835°WCoordinates: 50°41′17″N 3°13′11″W / 50.68803°N 3.219835°W |
| Website |
www
|
| Telescopes | Kensington Telescope Lockyer Telescope McClean Telescope
|
 Location of Norman Lockyer Observatory
|
|
 |
|
|
[]
|
|
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).
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.
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.
...
Wikipedia