Observatories · Central Scotland
Airdrie Observatory
Airdrie Observatory (55° 51’ 56” N, 3° 58’ 58” W) is a fully operational, historic public astronomical observatory, which is part of the library building in the town of Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Sco
Jim Smillie — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1.5 h–2.5 h
- Best time of year
- Moonless winter nights (Oct–Mar)
About
Airdrie Observatory (55° 51’ 56” N, 3° 58’ 58” W) is a fully operational, historic public astronomical observatory, which is part of the library building in the town of Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. There are only four public observatories operating in the United Kingdom, all of which are in Scotland. Airdrie Observatory is the smallest, and second oldest. The observatory is owned and funded by Culture NL, and operated on their behalf by the Airdrie Astronomical Association (AAA), a local astronomy club and registered charity. The current observatory curators are AAA members William Tennant and Jack Frederick.
Photo gallery
From the Wikipedia article
Airdrie Observatory (55° 51’ 56” N, 3° 58’ 58” W) is a fully operational, historic public astronomical observatory, which is part of the library building in the town of Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. There are only four public observatories operating in the United Kingdom, all of which are in Scotland. Airdrie Observatory is the smallest, and second oldest. The observatory is owned and funded by Culture NL, and operated on their behalf by the Airdrie Astronomical Association (AAA), a local astronomy club and registered charity. The current observatory curators are AAA members William Tennant and Jack Frederick.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
From 1896 to 1925 Airdrie Observatory was located in the original Airdrie Public Library (which became Airdrie Arts Centre). This library was funded in part by a £1,000 donation from Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish-American philanthropist. The original 3.25“ refracting telescope was given to the town by Dr Thomas Reid, an eminent Glasgow oculist and philanthropist. This telescope is no longer in use as repairs cannot be undertaken due to its age and fragility, but it can be seen in the local history room of today's library. Eventually the library was deemed to be too small and on 25 September 1925, the current library building was opened, funded this time by Airdrie Savings Bank and by the…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 55.8656, -3.9828
- Address
- 41 Bell Street, Airdrie, ML6 0BS
Sources
- wikipedia: Airdrie Observatory (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Airdrie Observatory?
- Airdrie Observatory is in Central Scotland, in the United Kingdom — coordinates 55.8656°, -3.9828°.