Airdrie Public Observatory

Airdrie Public Observatory (55° 51' 56" N, 03° 58' 58" W) is in the town of Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland. The observatory is open to the public by request, and is housed in Airdrie Public Library. Installed on the roof of the first purpose-built library building in 1896, it is the smallest, and second oldest, of four public observatories operating in the UK, all of which are sited in Scotland. The present library building was opened in 1925.

The observatory is owned and funded by North Lanarkshire Council and operated on their behalf by ASTRA, a Scottish space-flight society and registered charity.

Cooke Telescope

The observatories Cooke of York 6 inch refracting telescope is mounted equatorially and has a clockwork drive to track the stars across the sky. An electric motor is used to rotate the observatory’s dome.

The Cooke eye-pieces for the telescope provided a range between 60 and 450 times magnification. The telescope has been adapted by ASTRA to use more modern eye-pieces. Although the Cooke is not the original Airdrie telescope, it is believed that it is in excess of 100 years old and, in its day, would have been considered to be a research grade telescope.

Other Telescopes

The observatory has a number of smaller telescopes, binoculars, and two reflector telescopes (each belonging to ASTRA or its members) which can be used on the roof of the observatory, or alternatively, they can be removed to a dark sky site for observing sessions.

Original Telescope

The original telescope was a 3 inch, brass-bodied, refracting telescope donated to the town by Dr. Thomas Reid, an eminent Glasgow oculist, in 1896.

This has now been retired as repairs cannot be undertaken due to its age and fragility, but it can still be seen in the observatory to this day.

Observatory Buildings

The observatory was founded in 1896 in the first purpose built library building of 1894. The second purpose built, and current, building was opened on 25 September 1925.

Chronology

1853

In August the Public Libraries Act (Scotland)1853 was passed, and in November Airdrie was the first Scottish town to adopt it, beating Dunfermline into second place by 13 years.

1856

A quantity of books were obtained for the sum of £40 from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Library opened in the clerks office in the Town House - now known as the Town Clock.

1892

Andrew Carnegie had promised in a letter to Mr Thomas Jeffrey of Airdrie Savings Bank an amount of money equaling £1,000 (being half of the money required to build a new library) so long as a piece of land was acquired and the other half of the money was raised locally. On receiving this guarantee, a public appeal was launched on 13 June 1892 for funds, and by October 1892 more than £1,000 had been raised. With more than £2,000, plans were drawn up to build the new Library on Anderson Street."

1894

The new library was opened and MP Sir John Wilson wrote off some accompanying debt to the amount of £1,000 which allowed the new library to start debt free.

1896

28 April

Dr. Thomas Reid, an eminent Glasgow oculist, donated a 3 inch brass-bodied, refracting telescope to the town, and it was housed in the library. He also donated the sum of £35 to convert a top-floor room, where a dome was built on the roof of the building for it. Robert Dunlop was the first Honorary Curator, followed shortly by Mr Peter Scotland.

1925

25 September

A new library was built, near the first purpose built library, with financial assistance from Airdrie Savings Bank and a second grant from the Carnegie Trust, incorporating a new observatory dome on the library roof, and the original Dr Reid telescope was brought from the old observatory. A Cooke of York brass-bodied 6 inch refracting telescope was obtained by the observatory curator Ex-Baillie James Lewis for the sum of £500. Before the recent discovery of a receipt for this, local oral tradition had it that this was donated by Mr Coats of Coats Ironworks, Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire.

1977

The Observatory was threatened with closure due to storm damage. This is when ASTRA stepped in (Ian Downie wrote to the local Council on 7 July 1977) and offered to repair the damage to the telescope and drive if the then Monkland's Council would fit a new dome. They duly did and ASTRA repaired the telescope.

1978

The Observatory was re-opened on 4 October 1978 (Sputnik 1 anniversary) by Professor Vincent Reddish, Astronomer Royal for Scotland. ASTRA have been managing Airdrie Public Observatory on behalf of the local council, now North Lanarkshire Council, ever since.

ee also

*Timeline of telescopes, observatories, and observing technology
*List of astronomical observatories
*Space observatory

Other Public Observatories

City Observatory, Edinburgh.

Coats Observatory, Paisley.

Mills Observatory, Dundee. The only full time public observatory.

References

* [http://iclanarkshire.icnetwork.co.uk/acadvertiser/ Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser]

External links

* [http://www.astra.org.uk/ ASTRA official site]

* [http://www.northlan.gov.uk/leisure+and+tourism/libraries/local+libraries/airdrie+library+facilities+services+and+opening+hours.html Airdrie Public Library]

* [http://www.northlan.gov.uk/ North Lanarkshire Council]