Fund raising for a new telescope

The Nelson Science Society and its Astronomy section are fundraising for a new telescope, probably a Celestron or Meade 14-inch, which will replace the 135 year old Cooke telescope which is being returned to the Cawthron Institute. The new telescope will be housed in the Cawthron Atkinson Observatory at Clifton Terrace school and used for public viewing nights.

A 14-inch telescope like this will give nearly 8 times more light gathering capacity than the existing telescope, enabling fainter objects like nebulae and galaxies to be seen in detail more easily. Special filters will allow everyone to observe extra details, and combat the increasing effects of light pollution, extending the useful life of the observatory.

A computer controlled mount will enable quicker location of astronomical objects resulting in more of these being viewed in an evening, and freeing up the astronomers to spend more time educating the public about what they are seeing.