The Gifford Observatory is an

astronomical Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest include ...

observation facility located in the suburb of Mount Victoria,

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

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. Operated by the Gifford Observatory Trust with the intent of making it available for use to Wellington school children, it is primarily used by secondary school students, and members of the Wellington Astronomical Society.

History of the observatory

The observatory was first established in 1912 by the efforts of Charles Gifford, a science teacher. The observatory was moved to the current site in 1926, on land that is now occupied in trust by

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: New Zealand * Wellington College, Wellington, New Zealand * Wellington College of Education, now the Faculty of Education of Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand * Wellington Girls' College, Wellington, N ...

and Wellington East Girls' College. The observatory fell into disrepair in the late 1970s due to a momentary lack of time and enthusiasm from staff and students at the school. A trust was established in 1998 by a small group of interested teachers and

amateur astronomers An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, self-taught, user-generated, DIY, and hobbyist. History ...

from the Wellington Astronomical Society, with the goal of restoring the observatory to a working state. On March 25, 2002, the observatory was successfully re-opened by William Pickering, who had been a frequent user of the observatory during his school days.

Equipment

Since being moved to its present location in 1924, the observatory has housed a 130 mm

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refracting telescope A refracting telescope (also called a refractor) is a type of optical telescope that uses a lens (optics), lens as its objective (optics), objective to form an image (also referred to a dioptrics, dioptric telescope). The refracting telescope d ...

. The telescope was equipped with a clockwork drive until it was replaced by a motor drive in the mid-1960s. The telescope was kept in storage during the observatory's disrepair throughout the 1980s and 1990s. It was returned to the observatory following the restoration.

External links

Gifford Observatory Home Page

Wellington College - Gifford Memorial Observatory Trust
{{Astronomical observatories in New Zealand Astronomical observatories in New Zealand Buildings and structures in Wellington City Education in the Wellington Region

History of the observatory

Equipment

See also

External links