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The Astronomical Society of Edinburgh |
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The Astronomical Society of Edinburgh |
The 6 inch Cook telescope continues to be regularly used by members of the Society. Demonstrations on how to use this instrument proved to be very popular and it is hoped that members will enjoy using this telescope on clear nights.
The 8 ¾ inch Dobsonian remains out at the dark observing site at Earlyburn.
Due to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease, Earlyburn was out of use until June. With the agreement of the local farmer, the site is now open and accessible to members.
The 4 inch Newtonian has been in use at the Calton Hill on clear Friday nights.
The 12 inch "Lewis" Newtonian reflector (which the Society bought from the widow of one of our members) will soon be ready for use. The primary mirror has been re-aluminised, a new secondary mirror purchased and at present, we are awaiting delivery of a skeleton tube, Dobsonian mount for the telescope.
The intention is to take this large aperture telescope out to Earlyburn and bring back the 8 ¾ inch Dobsonian for use at the observatory.
The Society has this year, also purchased a "Nearstar" Hydrogen Alpha Solar Telescope costing £2260. Although this represents a large capital outlay, the telescope fills a gap in the equipment owned by the Society, allowing direct observation of the Sun's disc. It is hoped that this instrument will prove popular with Society members and visitors alike, allowing daytime observing as well as summer nights observing.
Warning notices have been printed in several languages, explaining that the Solar Telescope is a specialised, dedicated instrument and extreme caution should be exercised when observing the Sun.