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Lots of exciting things are happening at Kielder Observatory, use this page to browse the latest stories. We’ll have updates on the events we run, fantastic images our team have taken up at the observatory and occasionally science updates that our team would like to share!
We also release quarterly newsletters via email, sign up to our mailing list and view our archive of past newsletters here:
New radio telescope for Kielder
Kielder Observatory is excited to announce we've submitted plans for a fantastic new telescope onsite.
Read Time
2 minutes
Kielder Observatory is excited to announce we've submitted plans for a fantastic new telescope onsite.
[fulltext] =>
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.
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Kielder Observatory is excited to announce we've submitted plans for a fantastic new telescope onsite.
)
Your Own Kielder Observatory
Click here to read more about how Kielder Observatory is bringing cutting edge technology to the depths of Kielder forest.
Read Time
1 minute
Click here to read more about how Kielder Observatory is bringing cutting edge technology to the depths of Kielder forest.
[fulltext] =>
We're very excited to be partnering with Arcade Ltd to create your very own Kielder Observatory, via the magic of augmented reality... Thanks to the Digital Catapult North East and Tees Valley North East Social Tech Fund, we have £10,000 to create a prototype and, once we've seen how it works, we'll work closely with Arcade Ltd to raise further funding so that everyone can enjoy the experience. Imagine it - your very own "Kielder Observatory" that you can enter via a smartphone and view a virtual night-time sky!
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)
Exoplanet
Poof! ‘Planet’ disappears from astronomers’ sight. Did it even exist?
Read Time
3 minutes
Poof! ‘Planet’ disappears from astronomers’ sight. Did it even exist?
[fulltext] =>Exoplanet
By Dan Pye, Astronomer and Visitor Experience Lead
A new study released on the 20th April in the journal Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) offers an answer to a mystery that has been intriguing the world of astronomy.
Fomalhaut b, an extrasolar object and candidate planet orbiting the A-type main-sequence star Fomalhaut, was first documented using visible light wavelengths in 2008 by astronomers assessing data from the Hubble telescope and later confirmed in 2012 by an international team of astronomers as a large exoplanet. This method is different to the more commonly known ‘transit’ method which scans for a dip in light as a planet passes infant of its star.
Early in the discovery scientists argued against the idea of a unique Jupiter sized object shrouded by dust, and rather suggested that the image was a short-lived dust cloud unrelated to any planet based on the objects motion and lack fo infrared detection. This seems to have been the case.
András Gáspár, an assistant astronomer at the University of Arizona’s Steward Observatory analysed recent images captured by Hubble in 2013 and 2014 and discovered that Fomalhaut b had indeed disappeared. Fomalhaut b could have been the result of two icy bodies colliding with one another leaving a cloud of fine dust particles visible enough to be observed.
This discovery discrediting the exoplanet however opens astronomers to a new kind of discovery.
“These collisions are exceedingly rare and so this is a big deal that we actually get to see evidence of one," said Andras Gaspar, an assistant astronomer at the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory and lead author of the new paper. "We believe that we were at the right place at the right time to have witnessed such an unlikely event with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope."
Today’s paper could help shape future exoplanet research.
“The Fomalhaut star system is the ultimate test lab for all of our ideas about how exoplanets and star systems evolve," said George Rieke, a Regents Professor of Astronomy at Steward Observatory. "We do have evidence of such collisions in other systems, but none of this magnitude has been observed in our solar system. This is a blueprint of how planets destroy each other."
Fomalhaut, a star twice as big as our sun and 20 times brighter, is located in the constellation Pisces Austrinus approximately 25 light years from Earth and is one of the brightest stars in the nights sky.
Poof! ‘Planet’ disappears from astronomers’ sight. Did it even exist?
)Coronavirus measures
Update regarding current coronavirus measures for events at the observatory
Read Time
2 minutes
Update regarding current coronavirus measures for events at the observatory
[fulltext] =>Update for COVID-19
All restrictions are lifted in England and we have reviewed our risk assessments. Masks are no longer required and are now a matter of personal choice. We are maintaining our reduced capacity at but this is under constant review.
We have retained our amended terms and conditions regarding cancellations:
- We have reduced our notice period from 14 days to seven days: this means that, if your plans change, you can request a transfer voucher to the value of your tickets, less an administration fee of £5, if the event is more than seven days away. If your booking is within seven days and the event is sold out, we can attempt to resell the tickets and issue you with a transfer voucher less a £5 admin fee if the tickets sell.
We have also retained some of the measures we put in place as they have helped managed the site and improve the experience.
- When you arrive at the Observatory, please wait inside your car until a member of staff escorts you to the building.
- If you are bringing children, you are responsible for ensuring they remain at a safe distance from other people.
- Hand sanitiser stations are available throughout the site – please ensure you use these whenever you switch locations.
- Card payments would be preferred over cash.
- As with all infectious diseases, please do not attend if you have any symptoms.
Please follow the guidance of the team at all times. In line with our existing terms and conditions, staff have the right to ask visitors to leave if they are not complying with guidance. We want all events at the Observatory to be inspirational and safe for everyone.
If you have any questions at all, please email admin@kielderobservatory.org and we will do our very best to provide you with the answers you need as quickly as possible.
- Catherine Johns, CEO
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Update regarding current coronavirus measures for events at the observatory
)
Observe, Experiment, Archive
Artist Helen McGhie (in partnership with Kielder Observatory) has produced work for the photography exhibit "Observe, Experiment, Archive" at Sunderland Museum, staff member Natasha Lund visits the exhibition to take a closer look.
Read Time
6 minutes
Artist Helen McGhie (in partnership with Kielder Observatory) has produced work for the photography exhibit "Observe, Experiment, Archive" at Sunderland Museum, staff member Natasha Lund visits the exhibition to take a closer look.
[fulltext] =>Wanderers, Anatomy of a Northern Astronomer, Dark Adaptation
By Natasha Lund Ba (Hons), Art Programme Lead
The exploration of light, darkness the transformative nature of observing the night time sky.
These are the core concepts of contemporary photographer Helen McGhie’s body of work “Dark Adaptation”, “Wanderers” and “Anatomy of a Northern Astronomer”. Along with other work, and in partnership with Kielder Observatory, the pieces can be viewed between the 15th November and January the 5th at the Special Exhibition Gallery at the Winter Gardens Museum in Sunderland. As the arts programme lead for the observatory, I went down to view the exhibition and have a chat with Helen herself.
The Winter Gardens is a perfect stage for the exhibition to be set upon. With its verdant flora and fauna, spacious and stylish galleries and on trend eatery, it provides a perfect environment within which to contemplate the themes of scientific innovation, historical collections and the work of light and lens presented in “Observe, Experiment, Archive.” Helen’s work is one part of this response by photographic artists to the above and addresses not only the expression of the human condition but also how we might meet the challenges that face us in the future.
Of Helen’s work, the first is that it is at heart a process of telling the stories of those who seek out the darkness of the dark sky park, and who gaze up at the punctuating starlight that has inspired so many before them and will inspire so many after. A deeply personal experience, the act of observing is captured both starkly and enigmatically with “Wanderers”.
Here, Helen both conversed with and photographed staff from Kielder Observatory and her own mother. We are, us three, caught in the act of observing, performing for the camera whilst undergoing a journey into the darkness. The stark flash of a white throat and the sprinkling of winter snow accompanies Jesse, who is no stranger to the cold. The silent mist surrounds him and Kielder Observatory, our eyes into the universe, sits quietly in the murk. Jesse looks very at home. Perhaps that is what he feels when he stargazes.
Helen’s mother is a lone figure on a forest track, flanked by the tall trees in the twilight hour. Although it is not yet truly dark, she is expectant and patient, wrapped up warmly whilst she waits for starlight. Perhaps her wandering will show her stars for the first time. I wonder what she would think of her encounter with the changing skies, as darkness takes her and hears only her voice and no one else’s.
And finally, Helen photographed me. My hair is as bold as my stance, unafraid of the void that cuts off the landscape on which I stand. I am content in the darkness and surefooted. Kielder Observatory is my home and the sky is a map I can read and find beauty within. My portrait shows this, and I’m thrilled with it.
After being presented with three individual stories, three wanderers who are not lost but seeking a path to somewhere new that is not earthly, Helen’s next submission is more an invitation to darkness.
“Dark Adaptation” is a large, bold statement performative landscape where you are invited to consider what darkness is to you. It is in reality, as are most of the images presented to viewer, inspired by conversations with real astronomers and real people living and working under our dark skies. The particular story of this otherworldly image is in equal parts tragic, hopeful and brave. It speaks of stepping into new territory when the landscape has changed, even though you can’t see where you are going.
However, we don’t get to hear this tale as it is personal, as is every encounter with the darkness, which is precisely the point. What do you see when you stand alone in the dark? Where are you in this image? Perhaps on the surface of Mars. Perhaps in a photography dark room. Perhaps on the boundary of something personally challenging.
And the final instalment is the “Anatomy of a Northern Astronomer”, a catalogue style collection of images that embody, display and celebrate some of the tools, imagery and items that allow astronomers to practise their craft, along with some interpretative imagery that speaks of the scientific method.
The image shows some of the items that make the sky safe, accessible and understandable- solar filter glasses, a red light to preserve dark adapted vision, and a laser to locate deep sky objects and draw out the constellations in the sky. It’s a lovely collection of items and oddities that shed light on what it means to be an astronomer, both recently and historically, some playful, some integral, and uncovers some of the tools astronomers employ- such as measuring minutes of arc with your fingers.
It is fascinating to see an artist’s interpretation of the immersion of the individual in darkness, and the act of waiting for the universe to emerge. Helen confesses she herself is not an astronomer- and has thoroughly enjoyed stepping into the shoes of those who are and experiencing herself for the first time how darkness can draw a parallel to experiences in her own life. The research gained by speaking to astronomers, stargazers and spending time with us on site at the observatory in the cold, under the clearest skies, she tells me, has been an invaluable and amazing experience. I’d thoroughly encourage you to visit the exhibition, details can be found again below, and to also experience the works of the other photographic artist who explore a variety of themes in a poignant and documentarian way. For myself, I can’t wait to work with Helen again in the future and see where her developing PhD takes her in partnership with Kielder Observatory.
Natasha Lund
Astronomer & Arts Programme Lead
Kielder Observatory Astronomical Society
natasha@kielderobservatory.org
Observe Experiment Archive explores the parallels between photography and scientific methods such as observation, experimentation and archiving.
The exhibition considers how contemporary photographic artists can respond to both scientific innovation and historical collections, their work transforming our world through light and lens.
It delves into the age-old sense of wonder we feel when faced with the complex nature of our ever-changing world and the ongoing struggle to learn more. The exhibition also considers the power of human inventiveness in meeting global challenges.
Observe Experiment Archive features photography by Mandy Barker, Tessa Bunney, Liza Dracup, Sophie Ingleby, Helen McGhie, Maria McKinney, Robert Zhao Renhui and Penelope Umbrico.
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Artist Helen McGhie (in partnership with Kielder Observatory) has produced work for the photography exhibit "Observe, Experiment, Archive" at Sunderland Museum, staff member Natasha Lund visits the exhibition to take a closer look.
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Hubble's Bubble
As the Hubble Space Telescope fast approaches its 29th Birthday, it is a good time to review one of our favourite images from the past few years.
Read Time
3 minutes
As the Hubble Space Telescope fast approaches its 29th Birthday, it is a good time to review one of our favourite images from the past few years.
[fulltext] =>
By George Pattinson
At 7,000 to 8,000 light years away, hiding in the constellation of Cassiopeia is the Bubble Nebula. It is a fantastic example of an emission nebula: a dusty region of space which is being superheated - to temperatures of about 10,000 degrees Celsius - by an extremely hot and massive star. This glowing shell of gas is mainly made up of hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen, which is being excited by the radiation from the central star (the brightest star towards the upper-left quarter of the nebula).
As material from the surface of this fiercely hot star continues to be expelled, it pushes against an interstellar dust cloud which slows its progress and gives the nebula its distinct shape. The asymmetry of the expanding nebula hints towards irregularities in the giant dust cloud in which it is embedded; much like a plough piling up snow as it moves, where the star’s outflow encounters a denser region it is slowed more, whereas towards the bottom right of the nebula it flows more freely and quickly away. This is also the reason why the star in question lies off centre within the nebula.
Every year in April, the Hubble Space Telescope releases a different image to celebrate yet another year since its launch (24th April 1990) into low-Earth orbit. In 2016, Hubble celebrated its 26th birthday by capturing the above image. It is the culmination of many visible photos taken by Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 in February of the same year, where red represents nitrogen, green for hydrogen and blue for oxygen. This snapshot of the Bubble Nebula gives us an insight into the complex environment surrounding such hot massive stars, with scientists estimating that this star is due to detonate as a supernova in the next 10 to 20 million years.
If you would like to follow in William Herschel’s footsteps who discovered the Bubble Nebula in 1787, and observe this for yourself, then you are in for a bit of a challenge! It is possible to see as a faint glow through a medium 8” aperture telescope, if you know exactly where to look. It is situated in the constellation of Cassiopeia, about half a degree southwest from a well-known open cluster of stars called M52, surrounding the bright central star that is seen in the above image.
For more information on this nebula or how to observe it, book an event at Kielder Observatory and speak to one of our experienced astronomers!
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Latest News
Exciting things are happening at Kielder Observatory
Read Time
1 minute
Exciting things are happening at Kielder Observatory
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