Project gives online access to robotic telescope
An
University of Bradford product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Aug 31, 2004
School pupils across the UK will be able to gaze at the heavens from a telescope on the island of Tenerife without ever leaving their desks thanks to a University of Bradford project.
School pupils across the UK will be able to gaze at the heavens from a telescope on the island of Tenerife without ever leaving their desks thanks to a University of Bradford project.
The Bradford Robotic Telescope is 2400m up on the edge of an extinct volcano on Tenerife and is situated on one the best observatory sites available in Europe.
After a GBP 200,000 upgrade, including a new telescope, computer system and several webcams, the Bradford Robotic Telescope is in the final stages of testing.
Project co-ordinator and Head of the University's Department of Cybernetics, Internet and Virtual Systems Dr John Baruch said: "This will give every schoolchild in Britain access to the latest astronomical kit - for free".
Because the entire system is robotic, pupils can access the telescope, ask it to make an observation of any part of the sky and the telescope will send the resulting image back to them.
A dedicated web page for the telescope also provides schools with teaching materials and projects written by teachers at Rhodesway School in Bradford.
Although in theory the telescope could complete 1000 different observations in one night, Dr Baruch explained that, in reality, the vast majority of requests were from a list of just 30.
The system includes webcams that give around-the-clock views of the site and real-time images of the stars setting over Mount Teide.
The project is funded by the Nuffield Research Foundation and the Royal Society to promote the teaching of astronomy in schools.
Currently being tested among young members of the Nuffield 21st-Century Science Group, it is hoped that the Bradford Robotic Telescope will be fully up and running soon.
Details can be found at www.telescope.org.
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