By Ian Whitely, chair of the Save Herstmonceux Observatory campaign
Since the September issue of Astronomy Now went to press, we’ve heard that the lease to the Observatory Science Centre (OSC), Herstmonceux has been extended for 10 years.
The announcement, on 18 August, follows a year of uncertainty after Queen’s University Canada declared that the lease to the current operators of the science centre, Science Projects, would not be renewed after December 2026. Now, a ten-year extended lease has been agreed between Science Projects and Bader College (for Queen’s University Canada).
The site, at Herstmonceux Castle Estate, is an important UK science heritage location and former home to the Royal Greenwich Observatory. It is where the first stellar mass black hole was discovered and where it was first determined that supermassive black holes at the centres of galaxies powered quasars. Its six copper domes, lily pond and three working RGO telescopes make it a unique astronomy site.
In the 30 years that Science Projects have held the lease, they have refurbished and maintained the domes and telescopes, and turned what was a derelict site into a hand-on learning facility that attracts 60,000 visitors a year. It’s a valued centre for STEM learning and is well-loved by families, as well as by education and astronomy communities.
If you want to celebrate this news with the OSC, it’s wonderful staff and volunteers, why not visit their annual Astronomy Festival on 29-31 August?
Look out for September’s issue of Astronomy Now – on sale 21 August (bookmark our shop here) – for Ian’s full history of Herstmonceux: the observatory that moved to a castle.
Ian Whiteley is chair of the Save Herstmonceux Observatory campaign, a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, and an OSC volunteer.
