New radio telescope for Kielder

22/07/2020

New telescope!!!

We’ve just submitted plans to site for a new five-metre-diameter, Spider 500 radio telescope.

The move into radio astronomy allows us to contribute to worldwide scientific research, attract university research into Northumberland and develop our remote outreach activities.

It will make a dramatic difference to our astronomy offer. We can use it for citizen science projects and engage a wide variety of audiences in STEM, illuminating career pathways and providing student placements and apprenticeship opportunities.

The telescope will mostly be funded by the Tanlaw Foundation. Lord Tanlaw selected Kielder Observatory because of its commitment to public outreach and its remote location. He said: “It is hugely important that we can use this facility to reach a wider, hitherto excluded, audience to observe the Universe and create distance learning in astronomy, data science and astrobiology.”

This telescope is part of “Kielder Observatory Constellations”, our strategy to reach beyond the observatory site and connect with people in innovative ways to convey that special Kielder moment of inspiration. We’ve already announced the development of an augmented reality Kielder Observatory, with many more initiatives on the horizon.