The Observatory

The society is fortunate to have its own observatory. It is located to the north of Letchworth at the Standalone Farm Centre which is run by Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation. The centre is off Wilbury Road; the Postcode is SG6 4JN.

The site is easily accessible by road and public transport, and has ample car parking. Additionally, the location is reasonably dark.

The observatory is sited at : Lat 51^o59'20" N, Long 0^o14'35" W Click on the co-ordinates for a map.

The observatory was built entirely by our members. We have some photos of its construction and opening.
It currently houses an electrically driven polar aligned 10" Newtonian telescope (with manual override). It is possible to attach cameras to the telescope, and it has a selection of filters and eyepieces.

In addition we have the following telescopes: Reflectors 10" / 254 mm Meade LDX55 Schmidt Newtonian reflector on a motorised equatoria mount 8" / 200mm Dobsonian reflector 6" / 150mm f4 Orion Newtonian reflector on a Vixen alt-azimuth Porta-mount 6" / 150mm Dobsonian reflector 4.5" / 114mm f8 Meade 4504 reflector on a motorised equatorial mount Refractors 4.75" / 120mm f8 Skywatcher EVOSTAR-120 refractor on an equatorial mount 3.5" / 90mm Konus refractor on a motorised equatorial mount 2.75" / 70mm f10 Bresser Skylux refractor on an equatorial mount 2.75" / 70mm f12.9 Vixen A70lf achromatic refractor

Observing Sessions and Workshops

We run a programme of observing sessions during the year for members and their guests. They are held on Fridays, with Saturday as a back-up in case of poor weather. The sessions are normally held around the time of a New moon, to avoid its glare drowning out other objects. We also have some sessions specifically to observe the Moon. You can find the dates of these sessions in our Programme of activities.

During 2009 we held a series of Astronomy Workshops to introduce people to astronomy, in a series of sessions mixing theory with practical activities. We are running more workshops duing 2010. The cost is just £5 per session (free to members) and must be booked in advance, as numbers are limited. There are also some Young Observers' Workshops, aimed at ages 11-15. These are also £5 (which includes an accompanying adult) and must also be booked in advance. Further details, and information and on how to book places, can be found by following the links.

We are also happy to arrange visits to the observatory for scouts and guides and for other groups. Contact us for more information.

Our observations page has a selection of images produced by LDAS members .

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