Oxford Observatory volunteer James Moffat (right) helps a family view the cosmos through the 10-inch telescope, which will be mounted outside following he arrival of a bigger telescope. The Oxford Area School Observatory’s new Meade 12-inch telescope has finally arrived and is in the process of being installed, volunteer Chris Hawes says. Unlike the old telescope, the new one is computerised, making it easier to train telescope operators, so volunteers hope to be able to open on every clear night over winter. “With the old telescope, we had only one person who could operate it, so that meant we were pretty restricted in what we could do,” volunteer Erik Vermaat says. For more information, visit the Oxford Observatory page on Facebook or go tooxford.ngawhetu.nz/index.php.

Source: Otago Daily Times November 16, 2020 22:52 UTC