A NEW observatory a decade in the making is to officially open near Glasgow later this week.
The Astronomical Society of Glasgow (ASG) is to open the Eric Tomney Memorial Observatory with an all-day public event that will include tours, presentations and night-time observations, weather permitting on Saturday September 30.
Located close to the Mugdock Park Visitor Centre, the observatory will be home to a 14” diameter reflecting telescope for imaging the cosmos in its dome.
The society will also have a collection of telescopes suitable for beginners as well as seasoned astronomers.
READ MORE: 'Horrific' vandalism of Scottish Yes hub investigated by police
President of the ASG Dr Andrew Conway said: “This is literally a childhood dream come true for many of us – building a new astronomical observatory.
“It’s not officially open yet but many passers-by in the park have stopped to ask us what we were doing as we worked on it, and we answered them with live images of sunspots, solar prominences and, on a few lucky occasions, solar flares.
“In the winter we can’t wait to show them the moon, planets, stars, galaxies and much more through our telescopes.
“We live on a pale blue dot in a vast universe and this new observatory will let more people experience its wonder with their own eyes.”
The observatory is the legacy of the society’s former president, Eric Tomney, who died in 2013 and left a bequest for the observatory’s construction for the benefit of the society’s members.
The ASG is the largest society of its kind in Scotland has been promoting astronomy in Glasgow for more than 100 years.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel