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Stardome Observatory (
IAU
The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreach ...
observatory code 467, previously known as Auckland Observatory) is a public
astronomical observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...
situated in
Maungakiekie/One Tree Hill Domain in
Auckland, New Zealand
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
.
Founded in 1967, the observatory is administered by the Auckland Observatory and Planetarium Trust Board. The Trust Board was created by th
Auckland Astronomical Society(AAS) in 1956. The society is now based at the observatory.
Functions
Research
In 1969, the observatory (then called Auckland Observatory) constructed a UBV
photoelectric photometer with assistance from the
University of Auckland
, mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work
, established = 1883; years ago
, endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021)
, budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021)
, chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant
, vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...
. This photometer on the Zeiss telescope became a very successful instrument and produced a significant number of published research papers. Probably the most important discovery was the phenomenon of "super-humps" in the
SU Ursae Majoris class of
cataclysmic binary stars in 1974.
In 1988, the observatory participated in the discovery of the atmosphere of
Pluto
Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the S ...
by measuring the brightness change as the planet passed in front of a star.
During the 1980s the Zeiss telescope was used to support several doctoral students from the
University of Auckland
, mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work
, established = 1883; years ago
, endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021)
, budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021)
, chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant
, vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...
(most notably
Rodger Freeth
Rodger "Roj" Vincent Freeth, Ph.D., (24 December 1953 – 18 September 1993) was a New Zealand motor sport competitor.
Career
He held a Ph.D. in Physics and had a distinguished academic and motorsport career. His first love was motorcycles and ...
), including the development of a new computer-controlled photon counting photometer. Regular UBV photometry of variable stars continued until 1998 when a
CCD camera was first used.
In 1999, a
Celestron
Celestron is an American company based in Torrance, California, United States, that manufactures telescopes and distributes telescopes, binoculars, spotting scopes, microscopes, and accessories manufactured by its parent company, the Synta Technol ...
C-14
Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope was provided by the Nustrini family for installation in the newly built second dome at Stardome Observatory. A grant from the ASB Trust was used to buy a Paramount GT1100s mounting (manufactured by
Software Bisque) and an Apogee AP8p CCD camera. The Apogee camera has a back-illuminated SITe003 CCD (1024×1024 24-
micrometre
The micrometre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American spelling), also commonly known as a micron, is a unit of length in the International System of Unit ...
pixels). The field of view is 22
arc-minute
A minute of arc, arcminute (arcmin), arc minute, or minute arc, denoted by the symbol , is a unit of angular measurement equal to of one degree. Since one degree is of a turn (or complete rotation), one minute of arc is of a turn. The na ...
s. The 0.35 m (f/11) Nustrini telescope is used only for research. In 2006 the
Celestron
Celestron is an American company based in Torrance, California, United States, that manufactures telescopes and distributes telescopes, binoculars, spotting scopes, microscopes, and accessories manufactured by its parent company, the Synta Technol ...
C-14 telescope was replaced by a 40 cm Meade ACF (F/10) and in 2008 CCD camera was replaced by a SBIG ST-6303. The Meade ACF telescope uses an OG530 Orange Schott Optical Glass Filter.
Stardome Observatory is a member of the microFUN collaboration which attempts to detect
extra-solar planets by
gravitational microlensing
Gravitational microlensing is an astronomical phenomenon due to the gravitational lens effect. It can be used to detect objects that range from the mass of a planet to the mass of a star, regardless of the light they emit. Typically, astronomers ...
. MicroFUN is based at the Astronomy Department of
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
and coordinates the observation of high-magnification microlensing events. In April 2005, microFUN contributed significantly to the discovery of a Jovian-mass planet (
OGLE-2005-BLG-071L
OGLE-2005-BLG-071L is a distant, magnitude 19.5 galactic bulge star located in the constellation Scorpius, approximately 11,000 light years away from the Solar System. The star is probably a red dwarf with a mass 43% of that of the Sun. ...
), the second planet to be detected in this way. In 2005, the Stardome contributed 250 hours of time-series photometry to this collaboration.
The Stardome also contributes to the
Center for Backyard Astrophysics
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
(CBA) in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
as CBA-Auckland. This professional-amateur network monitors selected
cataclysmic binary stars and contributes to the understanding of these objects. During 2005, over 250 hours of observations where contributed to the CBA.
Stardome makes regular astrometric observations of
comet
A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena ar ...
s and
near-Earth object
A near-Earth object (NEO) is any small Solar System body whose orbit brings it into proximity with Earth. By convention, a Solar System body is a NEO if its closest approach to the Sun (perihelion) is less than 1.3 astronomical units (AU). ...
s (NEOs) for the
Minor Planet Center
The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.
Function
...
. In 2004, observations were made of the NEO
2004 FH
2004 FH is a micro- asteroid and near-Earth object of the Aten group, approximately 30 meters in diameter, that passed just above the Earth's surface on 18 March 2004, at 22:08 UTC. It was the 11th closest approach to Earth recorded . The aste ...
which was at the time the closest natural object detected from
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
(43,000 km). CCD photometry obtained at the Stardome showed that the object was rotating in 3 minutes, the fastest rotation rate measured for any solar system object.
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams (Circular No. 8310) – 2004 FH
/ref>
Research at Stardome Observatory is performed on a voluntary basis.
Outreach
The 1,000 square metres facility has two telescope
A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, absorption, or reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally meaning only an optical instrument using lenses, curved mirrors, or a combination of both to observe ...
domes and a planetarium
A planetarium ( planetariums or ''planetaria'') is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation.
A dominant feature of most planetarium ...
. The observatory has three primary functions: public outreach, education and research. There is a permanent staff of 9 people who are supported by about 12 part-time staff and some 30 volunteers.
Stardome receives approximately 55,000 visitors per year.
Education
Three full-time and one part-time education presenters provide curriculum-based astronomy and space topics and activities to about 45,000 school pupils each year. This education programme covers all ages, from year level 1 to 13, and is funded primarily through the Education Department Learning Experiences Outside the Classroom (LEOTC) programme.
In addition to the LEOTC programme, sessions are also provided for kindergarten and pre-schoolers, university students, military personnel (primarily celestial navigation), geo-survey students, senior citizens, corporate and other specialised groups. Bookings usually comprise a planetarium feature show, a night-sky presentation, time exploring the foyer exhibits and displays, and a selection from a 'classroom' session and other activities such as rocket launch demonstration, Matariki focus, and telescope viewing.
Facilities
The planetarium
A planetarium ( planetariums or ''planetaria'') is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation.
A dominant feature of most planetarium ...
was added during extensive additions in 1997. Seating 88 people within the 11 metre dome, it used a Zeiss ZKP3 star projector, 18 panorama and all-sky slide projectors, and a video projector. Some of the shows were produced by the Stardome while others were purchased and modified for local use. This was replaced with an E&S Digistar 3 computerised projection system in early 2008, utilising two Sony projectors. This has subsequently been upgraded to Digistar 4, 5 and now version 6. The original projectors were replaced early 2018 with laser-based projectors.
Edith Winstone Blackwell Telescope
The primary fixed telescope is the 0.5 m Edith Winstone Blackwell
Edith Mary Winstone Blackwell (née Winstone, 28 July 1877 – 15 September 1956) was a New Zealand philanthropist. Her philanthropic activities were concentrated in Auckland, New Zealand during the first half of the 20th century.
Early life an ...
Telescope (EWB) which is a classical Cassegrain reflector
The Cassegrain reflector is a combination of a primary concave mirror and a secondary convex mirror, often used in optical telescopes and radio antennas, the main characteristic being that the optical path folds back onto itself, relative to th ...
(f/13.3) manufactured by Carl Zeiss
Carl Zeiss (; 11 September 1816 – 3 December 1888) was a German scientific instrument maker, optician and businessman. In 1846 he founded his workshop, which is still in business as Carl Zeiss AG. Zeiss gathered a group of gifted practica ...
of Jena
Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a popu ...
. It was installed in late 1966 and is one of about 20 comparable instruments produced by Zeiss. It is mounted on an offset German equatorial mount
An equatorial mount is a mount for instruments that compensates for Earth's rotation by having one rotational axis, the polar axis, parallel to the Earth's axis of rotation. This type of mount is used for astronomical telescopes and cameras. The ...
. The optical tube assembly weighs about 500 kg and the overall weight, including the mount, is 2500 kg.
The Zeiss telescope was purchased with money from a gift to the people of Auckland by the late Edith Winstone Blackwell MBE Mbe may refer to:
* Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo
* Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria
* Mbe language, a language of Nigeria
* Mbe' language, language of Cameroon
* ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language
Molal ...
. It has been heavily used for both public viewing and research since being commissioned in 1967.
In 2003 it underwent a complete renovation. A project began in October 2018 to upgrade the telescope to full digital pointing and slewing. The work was completed in 2019.
See also
* List of astronomical observatories
This is a list of astronomical observatories ordered by name, along with initial dates of operation (where an accurate date is available) and location. The list also includes a final year of operation for many observatories that are no longer in ...
* List of astronomical societies
A list of notable groups devoted to promoting astronomy research and education.
Africa
* African Astronomical Society
South Africa
*Astronomical Society of Southern Africa
Asia
China
* Chinese Astronomical Society
India
* Akash Mitra Mandal
*A ...
* List of planetariums
This entry is a list of permanent planetariums across the world, including software and manufacturers. In addition, many mobile planetariums exist, touring venues such as schools.
Permanent planetariums
The planetariums here are listed in the fo ...
* Lists of telescopes
This is a list of lists of telescopes.
*List of astronomical interferometers at visible and infrared wavelengths
*List of astronomical observatories
*List of highest astronomical observatories
*List of large optical telescopes
*List of largest i ...
References
External links
Stardome Observatory website
Auckland Astronomical Society website
{{Authority control
1960s architecture in New Zealand
Astronomical observatories in New Zealand
Buildings and structures in Auckland
Education in Auckland
Minor-planet discovering observatories
Public observatories
Tourist attractions in Auckland