OBSERVATORY FOR CHRISTCHURCH

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28457, 11 December 1957, Page 7

OBSERVATORY FOR CHRISTCHURCH

Ambitions Of Society The Canterbury Astronomical Society may have its own observatory within the next few years, housing a 14-inch Cassegraine reflecting telescope, said Mr B. C. Marsh to a meeting of the society last evening. The society was given the mirror for the telescope by Mr G. Nankivell. and it has already been mounted at a member’s home. The telescope would be ready in a month or two, but money was needed for eyepieces, a motor for the drive, and a new mounting, since the present one was only on loan. Members of the society will be asked to contribute to this, in order to get the telescope in operation. “There is quite a large research programme that can be undertaken by amateurs,” said Mr Marsh. “Problems that have taken the interest of members, working with fairly small instruments, such as six-inch Newtonians, could in many cases be resolved by a larger instrument, such as the 14-inch Cassegraine. We have the telescope, and it should soon be in working order; we will need an observatory for it to be fully appreciated.” Since visual conditions in Christchurch were often very poor, an observatory should be out of the town, especially if it were to be used frequently, said Mi Marsh. This would enable higher magnifications to be used, and would allow a lot more to be seen. Research would probably be carried out in groups, under the guidance of a specialist. “Astronomy is a very big field,” said Mr Marsh. “We must select a small portion, and cover it thoroughly. There are numerous possibilities for work, such as lunar studies, photographic work qnd star studies. An observatory would be a big factor in these studies, and we should work towards it.”