Wednesday 18 February 2009

IYA's UK launch today

RH says.....
Today sees the official UK launch of the International Year of Astronomy, here at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. During the evening I will be based in the South Building's Endeavour Room - which is, in fact, the Lassell Dome, surmounting what was once known as the New Physical Observatory. It has changed a bit since the 1890s, but spot the telltale porthole windows....



The 26-inch Thompson telescope, with Christie, in the dome of the New Physical Observatory. Image from E. Walter Maunder's 'Royal Observatory, Greenwich: a Glance at its History and Work' (1900)

In the dome of the New Physical Observatory: an observer with his eye to the Great Equatorial telescope, mounted on two of the telescopes donated by Sir Henry Thompson, the 26-inch refractor and 9-inch photoheliograph.




F 6911-008 The Endeavour Room, Royal Observatory, Greenwich (c) NMM
In the dome today: the Endeavour Room of the South Building.

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