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The LDAS observatory was built by members of the Society, and contains a 10" Newtonian telescope
(although it is sized to take up to an 18" Newtonian). It has been running since 1996, and is most reliable. It is situated on the local corporation farm, Standalone Farm,
by their kind permission. Whilst not an ideal site (from the point of view of light pollution), it is nevertheless much darker than the surrounding towns, and the Milky Way
stands out brightly on a clear night.
Funding was obtained from both within the society - from donations and fund raising events - as well as
a generous donation from the Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation, and the local council.
All work except legal matters was done in-house to keep the costs down. This meant several months of
long weekends down on the farm, digging holes, laying concrete, building the frame, and then carrying it from the farm barn (at the bottom of a muddy hill), to the
observatory site (at the top). Then erecting it, and putting on the side frames, and eventually the roof. The run-off roof is counter-balanced by 2 tons of lead shot
via(!) the guide wires seen in the pictures!
One drawback to the location - around 500 feet from the nearest buildings - is the lack of power.
At present the telescope is run from a 12v battery which needs periodic recharging. In view of this, and the desire to run other equipment, including additional telescopes, laptops,
lighting, etc., we are looking at implementing an improved system of batteries to be charged by a solar panel. Further details will be added in due course.
Click on any of the photos for larger versions. You can also see some of our members' astronomical images on our Observations page.
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