Students and researchers at the Kapteyn Institute can still operate the telescope from the city, though
A telescope used by the University of Groningen observatory, was placed in the Lauwersmeer nature reserve on Wednesday, with foundations for the telescope laid last summer.
The observatory already has a telescope in use on the Zernike Campus, however its function is hampered by the amount of artificial light in its surroundings. To fix this, the new telescope will be located in the Dark Sky Park at the Lauwersmeer, reports OOGTV.
The telescope is near to the Lauwersnest activity center, and it is hoped that in the coming years a co-operation between the Statsbosbeheer (the national nature organisation) and the Kapteyn Institute will flourish.
The new observatory has cost 40,000 euros, with the Gratema Foundation providing a grant of 25,000 euros, and the remainder being financed by the University of Groningen.
The telescope will be tested and the software installed in the coming months. It is expected that the first observations can be made next winter, but students at the Kapteyn Institute do not necessarily have to go to the Lauwersmeer area for this. By means of a high-quality connection, the telescope can be operated from a distance, for example from the Zernike Campus.
Image of Jodrell Bank telescope in the UK by petergaunt2 via Pixabay
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