Bedford School Observatory - Bedford, UK
Posted by: 
Dragontree
N 52° 08.680 W 000° 27.799
30U E 673568 N 5780163
This modern observatory stands in the Bedford School grounds.
Waymark Code: WM590G
Location: Eastern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 11/30/2008
Views: 8
The main website describes the observatory and planetarium:
'The opening of the Piazzi Smyth Observatory in October 2000 has provided an important resource in the teaching and public understanding of Astronomy.
Sited on the Bedford School estate, the Observatory and Resource Centre are operated by the School’s Astronomer in conjunction with members of the Bedford Astronomical Society. The facilities are available for use by Schools and interested groups.
The Observatory is named in honour of Charles Piazzi Smyth O.B. who was Astronomer Royal for Scotland for many years and a pioneer of high altitude observing. The project has been funded by major grants from The Bedford School Trust, The Harpur Trust and The Wolfson Foundation, along with other generous donations from local businesses and Old Boys.
The main 5m dome houses a Meade LX 200 16" computer controlled telescope which gives stunning views of the Moon, Planets and Deep Sky Objects. Several portable telescopes ranging from 6" to 13" diameter are also used from the outside observation deck.
The Wolfson Planetarium
The adjacent Wolfson Planetarium, opened by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh in May 2002, houses a 4 metre dome and star projector.
The Planetarium acts as a valuable resource room and is available for use by schools and community groups for meetings, slide shows and projected views of the night sky.'
For visits please see this website:
visit link
Visit Instructions:Note the time of day of your visit, and your own photo of your favorite part of the observatory. This might be the view from the observatory, picture of your favorite building or favorite exhibit. (Be mindful of flash photography rules!)
If you participated in an observing session, let everyone know what you saw!