The Beverly-Begg Observatory is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

astronomical observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. H ...

, situated in Robin Hood Park in the

Belleknowes City Rise is an inner suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin. One of the city's older suburbs, it is, as its name suggests, centred on the slopes which lie close to the city centre, particularly those closest to the city's original heart of ...

part of Dunedin's town belt. It was established in 1922 by the Dunedin Astronomical Society (DAS) and is the home of the group.

History

The observatory is named after local astronomers

Arthur Beverly Arthur Beverly (22 March 1822 – 25 October 1907) was a New Zealand watchmaker, mathematician and astronomer. He was born the son of farmer George Beverly in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland and was educated at home and by a local shoemak ...

(1822-1907) and

John Campbell Begg John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Seco ...

(1876-1965). The annex was added in the 1960s. On 6 September 2008 the society unveiled a new 35 cm

Celestron Celestron is an American company based in Torrance, California, United States, that manufactures telescopes and distributes telescopes, binoculars, spotting scopes, microscopes, and accessories manufactured by its parent company, the Synta Technol ...

instrument on a Software Bisque Paramount ME robotic

telescope mount A telescope mount is a mechanical structure which supports a telescope. Telescope mounts are designed to support the mass of the telescope and allow for accurate pointing of the instrument. Many sorts of mounts have been developed over the year ...

with camera totalling $38,000, replacing a 30.5 cm

reflector telescope A reflecting telescope (also called a reflector) is a telescope that uses a single or a combination of curved mirrors that reflect light and form an image. The reflecting telescope was invented in the 17th century by Isaac Newton as an alternati ...

that had been in use since 1973. In addition $9,000 was spent upgrading the observatory facilities, including raising the floor by 1 m and installing computer screens displaying images captured by the telescope.

Operation

The observatory is open to the public on Sunday nights from 7:30 pm during the winter months (when

daylight saving time Daylight saving time (DST), also referred to as daylight savings time or simply daylight time (United States, Canada, and Australia), and summer time (United Kingdom, European Union, and others), is the practice of advancing clocks (typical ...

is not in force). Access for education and private groups may be made by arrangement through the Dunedin Astronomical Society's education officer. The annex is used by the society for meetings and talks. The observatory facilities are available for DAS members to use.

References

{{Astronomical observatories in New Zealand Buildings and structures in Dunedin Astronomical observatories in New Zealand Education in Dunedin Organisations based in Dunedin 1920s architecture in New Zealand