The Norman Lockyer Observatory, the Lockyer Technology Centre, and the Planetarium (jointly NLO), is a public access optical observatory east of

Sidmouth Sidmouth () is a town on the English Channel in Devon, South West England, southeast of Exeter. With a population of 12,569 in 2011, it is a tourist resort and a gateway to the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. A large part of the town ...

East Devon East Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council has been based in Honiton since February 2019, and the largest town is Exmouth (with a population of 34,432 at the time of the 2011 census). The district was formed ...

South West England South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities and ...

. It houses a number of historical optical telescopes, including the Lockyer Telescope, and is operated by Norman Lockyer Observatory Society (NLOS).

History

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. Mary Thomasina Browne, ''a.k.a.'' "Lady Lockyer", took a strong interest in the observatory and made gifts to it. She was elected to the

Royal Astronomical Society (Whatever shines should be observed) , predecessor = , successor = , formation = , founder = , extinction = , merger = , merged = , type = NG ...

in 1923. The Observatory's historic instruments are associated with Lockyer's pioneering work on star temperature which led to theories of

stellar evolution Stellar evolution is the process by which a star changes over the course of time. Depending on the mass of the star, its lifetime can range from a few million years for the most massive to trillions of years for the least massive, which is con ...

and the foundation of

astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the he ...

. The facility was operated by the University of Exeter between 1948 and 1984. In 1984

East Devon District Council East Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council has been based in Honiton since February 2019, and the largest town is Exmouth (with a population of 34,432 at the time of the 2011 census). The district was form ...

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

lecture A lecture (from Latin ''lēctūra'' “reading” ) is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical infor ...

s and

academic conference An academic conference or scientific conference (also congress, symposium, workshop, or meeting) is an event for researchers (not necessarily academics) to present and discuss their scholarly work. Together with academic or scientific journals ...

s added in 2005. The Connaught Dome, which incorporates 'Lockyer Technology Centre' (the observatory's radio astronomy facility), was opened in 2012. The observatory is staffed by volunteers, and regularly open to the public on published afternoons and evenings.

Instruments

The observatory provides modern

telescope A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, absorption, or reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally meaning only an optical instrument using lenses, curved mirrors, or a combination of both to obse ...

s with computer enhanced imaging, maintains some of the nation's most historic astronomical instruments and enjoys a relatively dark

night sky The night sky is the nighttime appearance of celestial objects like stars, planets, and the Moon, which are visible in a clear sky between sunset and sunrise, when the Sun is below the horizon. Natural light sources in a night sky inc ...

with a southerly aspect across the sea. There are five domes: * 'Mond', housing the 6¼-inch Lockyer Telescope. Built in 1871, this optical refractor telescope is on a German equatorial mount. Norman Lockyer used the

objective lens In optical engineering, the objective is the optical element that gathers light from the object being observed and focuses the light rays to produce a real image. Objectives can be a single lens or mirror, or combinations of several optical elem ...

from this telescope to discover helium in 1868 (before the lens was used in the telescope). * 'Kensington', housing the Kensington Telescope. Built in 1881 for the

Solar Physics Observatory The Institute of Astronomy (IoA) is the largest of the three astronomy departments in the University of Cambridge, and one of the largest astronomy sites in the United Kingdom. Around 180 academics, postdocs, visitors and assistant staff work ...

, London, this dual refractor telescope has a 10" tube for observation and 9" tube with attached prism and plate glass camera for spectroscopy. * 'McClean', housing the McClean Telescope, donated to the observatory by Francis McClean in 1912. Built in 1897 by the Grubb Telescope Company, it is a dual refractor consisting of a 12" tube and attachment for a plate glass camera, and a 10" tube for observing. Associated with this telescope is the Cooke Siderostat which projects the Sun's optical spectrum and Fraunhofer absorption lines within the Dome annex. * 'Connaught', housing a 20" reflector and the observatory's radio astronomy facility (Lockyer Technology Centre). * 'Victoria', housing a 12" reflector. The observatory is particularly well situated for spectral analysis in astronomy, which requires a clear sky over the whole

optical spectrum The visible spectrum is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to the human eye. Electromagnetic radiation in this range of wavelengths is called '' visible light'' or simply light. A typical human eye will respond to wa ...

, as it enjoys a relatively "clean" sky to the east and south across the sea. The

atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. ...

is usually free of

air pollution Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials. There are many different type ...

and

light pollution Light pollution is the presence of unwanted, inappropriate, or excessive use of artificial lighting. In a descriptive sense, the term ''light pollution'' refers to the effects of any poorly implemented lighting, during the day or night. Light po ...

and, as the sea has a uniform

temperature Temperature is a physical quantity that expresses quantitatively the perceptions of hotness and coldness. Temperature is measured with a thermometer. Thermometers are calibrated in various temperature scales that historically have relied on ...

, the air is also free of rising currents which can distort optical images. The observatory is active in both optical and radio astronomy and has a
astro imaging group
a technology group, a

meteorology Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did no ...

and

weather satellite A weather satellite or meteorological satellite is a type of Earth observation satellite that is primarily used to monitor the weather and climate of the Earth. Satellites can be polar orbiting (covering the entire Earth asynchronously), or ...

facility and a science history group. The observatory's radio call sign is 'GB2NLO' for special events at the observatory. It cooperates with

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-le ...

courses of the

University of Exeter , mottoeng = "We Follow the Light" , established = 1838 - St Luke's College1855 - Exeter School of Art1863 - Exeter School of Science 1955 - University of Exeter (received royal charter) , type = Public , ...

, the

University of Plymouth The University of Plymouth is a public research university based predominantly in Plymouth, England, where the main campus is located, but the university has campuses and affiliated colleges across South West England. With students, it is the ...

and the Open Universities, and is available for scientific and educational development projects. The observatory is home to the annual South West Astronomy Fair on the second Saturday in August. The observatory celebrated its centenary in 2012, with commemorative events throughout the year, as well as the openings of the Connaught Dome (20" reflector) and Lockyer Technology Centre by

Brian May Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Freddie Mercury an ...

. The observatory holds a library, including glass spectral plates. An archive of Lockyer's papers is held at the

Society

The observatory is home to the

astronomical society A list of notable groups devoted to promoting astronomy research and education. Africa *African Astronomical Society South Africa * Astronomical Society of Southern Africa Asia China *Chinese Astronomical Society India *Akash Mitra Mandal *Ast ...

"Norman Lockyer Observatory Society (NLOS)", founded in 1995. It is a registered

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

with the principal activities of promoting the public understanding of

science Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, scie ...

and astronomy and supporting

science education Science education is the teaching and learning of science to school children, college students, or adults within the general public. The field of science education includes work in science content, science process (the scientific method), some ...

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compu ...

s and

universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

. The facility is financed solely by its membership, private donations and income derived from Public Open Days. No funding is received from national or local

government agencies A government or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an administratio ...

nor does it receive ongoing grants from any

organisation An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived fr ...

References

{{Reflist, 40em, refs= {{cite web , url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/content/panoramas/norman_lockyer_observatory_360.shtml , title= Norman Lockyer Observatory, 360° Panorama , date= 19 August 2005 , work= BBC

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

website {{cite web , url=http://normanlockyer.com/ , title=Norman Lockyer Observatory , accessdate=18 July 2016 {{cite web , url=http://normanlockyer.com/history/ , title=History , publisher=Norman Lockyer Observatory , accessdate=18 July 2016 {{cite web , url=http://normanlockyer.com/visitor-information/opening-times/ , title=Opening Times , publisher=Norman Lockyer Observatory , accessdate=18 July 2016 {{cite web , url=http://normanlockyer.com/the-observatory/telescopes/ , title=Telescopes , publisher=Norman Lockyer Observatory , accessdate=18 July 2016{{cite web , url=http://projects.exeter.ac.uk/nlo/Home~EN.php , title=Norman Lockyer Observatory , accessdate=18 July 2016 {{cite web , url=http://projects.exeter.ac.uk/nlo/Observatory___Telescopes___Lockyer~EN.php , title=Lockyer Telescope , accessdate=18 July 2016 Astronomical observatories in England Planetaria in the United Kingdom Buildings and structures in Devon Jurassic Coast Sidmouth

History

Instruments

Society

See also

References