Keele Observatory

KeeleObservatory

AnnualReport

2017

KeeleObservatoryAnnualReport20171

TableofContents

FromtheDirector.......................................2

Administrativereport.................................2Personnel..........................................................................2Finances.............................................................................2

Infrastructureandequipment.....................3EngineeringworkontheThornton.......................4MaintenanceoftheGrubbanditsdome..............6Binoculars’enclosure...................................................6

Researchactivities......................................7SolarSystemobservations........................................7Publications......................................................................7

Outreachactivities......................................7BBC2’s“StargazingLive”............................................7Mediaactivities...............................................................8Publicviewings...............................................................8Schoolsandteachers....................................................8Communitygroupvisits.............................................8AdultEducationsessions...........................................8

ObservatoryHillasseenbyadroneduring`InternationalSUNday’on18thofJune2017.Credit:DuncanRichardson.

2KeeleObservatoryAnnualReport2017

FromtheDirector

Insomewaysthisyearwasprettymuchayearasanyother.TheObservatoryplayed

hosttothousandsofvisitors,youngand

old,thankstothededication,enthusiasm

andskillsofitsteamofengineers,outreach

ambassadorsandstudents.Weenjoyedplentyof(positive!)mediavisibility.

Thenagain,everyyearisdifferent.

Fromanunexpectedtelescopedonationorpowersurge,torallyingbehindStoke-on-

Trent’sbidtobecome`CityofCulture’,therewasalwayssomethingtoattendto.

Figure1WeactivelysupportedthebidbyStoke-on-

Trentforthestatusof`CityofCulture'in2021.

Whilethe24”upgradeprojectdidnot

cometoafinalconclusionasyet,agreaterunderstandingofthesystemwasgained

andfurtherpreparationsforthenewcamerawereconducted,andweareall

justifiablyoptimisticaboutnextyear.

Iwouldliketothankeveryoneforcontributingtheirtimeandenergy,andfor

theirtrustandpatienceinthisendeavour.

“Onwardsandupwards!”

JaccovanLoon

Administrativereport

Personnel

KeeleObservatoryisoperatedandmaintainedthroughauniquepartnership

betweentheAstrophysicsCentreinthe

SchoolofChemicalandPhysicalSciencesatKeeleUniversity,andacoregroupof

skilledanddedicatedvolunteers:the

ObservatorySupportTeam(“TheCrew”).

Formerdirector,andfounderofthe

observatory,Dr.RonMaddison,andLianBryantarelifetimehonorarymembersof

theteam,inrecognitionfortheirgreat

contributionstotheobservatory. In2017theCrewwascomposedof

AlanBagnall,DaveCaisley,IanJohnson,

PaulKlimczak,St.JohnRobinson,Andrew

Shepherd,MatthewStretchandJohnWebb,

alongwithanumberofaffiliatemembers.

Dr.JamesAlbinsonandStephenDoody

assumedalessprominentrolethisyear,

buttheyremainhighlyvaluedassociates.

ElectricalengineersIanKnightandKassim

Al-Muflehihadexpressedaninterestinjoiningourteam,asdidChrisBriggswho

willoverseeoursocialmediapresence.

UndergraduatestudentsLucyAuger

(whoseassistancehasbeeninvaluable)

andKrisTurner(whohasbeenworkingon

atechnicalproject)alongwithPhDstudentTeoMočnikwerejoinedbyundergraduate

studentsAbdulkarimMoallimandRachelWallace.DukeofEdinburghAwardee

RohiniKrishnadasalsojoinedourteam.

Finances

TheKeeleObservatorybuildingispartof

theSchoolofChemicalandPhysical

Sciences.Wesuccessfullyappliedtobeallowedtopurchasesomenewfurniture

(bookcases,desks)forthe24”control

roomandthe`library’.TheSchoolalso

providedareplacementhydrogenbulb.As

theObservatorydoesnothaveabudgetofitsown,inordertooperatemore

autonomouslyandefficientlyitneedsto

generateitsownfunds. Incomewasgeneratedbyvisitsof

communitygroups,schools–organizedbyusorviacolleaguesattheHuborwidening


participationdepartment(fundedbytheScienceLearningCentreor,moreoften,the

HigherHorizonsscheme)andfromAdult

Educationsessions.Donationsremaindisappointinglylowandfewandfar

between,andmostlyarisefromsalesofKeeleObservatory’sHistorybookletand

appreciationoftelescopesurgeries.

Boththetotalincomeandthetotalexpenditurein2017wereverysimilarto

previousyear’sfigures,thoughmorewas

spentonthe24”telescopethisyear.

Table1Financialaccountfor2017.

1.Balancebroughtforward £6419

Income

ScienceLearningCentre £90

Schoolactivities £771

Communitygroupvisits £711

AdultEducation £136

Donations £33

2.Totalincome £1741

Expenditure

Generalmaintenance £153

Developmentofthe24” £554

PrintingAnnualReport2016 £75

3.Totalexpenditure £782

4.Unspent,ringfenced £979

Surplus(items1+2–3;exclude4) £7378

Basedonthemostrecentaccounts

andbudgetfor2017,wesetabudgetfor

2018,slightlyincreasedbothintermsof

incomeandexpenditure.Weforeseesomefurtherexpensesrelatedtocommissioning

anupgraded24”,andallowforsome

additionalpurchasesandcontingency.

Table2Budgetfor2018.

1.Balancebroughtforward £7378

Income

Hospitality £1300

Donations £100

2.Totalincome £1400

Expenditure

Generalmaintenance £400

24”upgradeproject £600

Acquisitionofequipment £200

PrintingAnnualReport2017 £80

3.Totalexpenditure £1280

4.Ringfencedforsolartelescope £979

Surplus(items1+2–3;exclude4) £7498

InfrastructureandequipmentWithcontributionsbyStJohnRobinson

Figure2The`Lucascope'10"Newtonianreflector;

studentvolunteerSamYarwoodinthebackground.

Besidestheaforementionednewfurniture

forthe24”controlroom(abookcase,a

5%

41%

8%

44%

2%SLC

Community

AdultEdu

Schools

Donations


deskandastoragecabinet)and`library’(twobookcasesandamagazinedisplay

cabinet)thatreplacedandaugmented

someoftheagingfurniture,alongwithnewofficechairsforthecontrolroomand

lectureroom,weacquireda10”Newtonianreflector(make:OrionOptics)generously

donatedbyPeterLucas–the`Lucascope’–

whichweadaptedtobeabletomountontheC-GEMmountthatnormallycarriesthe

6”Luntsolartelescope(seefigure2).

Withregardtotheexterior,itwasa

relieftoseeNeptunerestoredtoitsformer

glory.Runningalongit,ÒbservatoryWalk’,acrossObservatoryHill,hadmeanwhile

beenfittedwithlightbollardstoguide

pedestriansontheircommutetoandfromthenewcarparkontheothersideofthe

SustainabilityHub.Whileadvicehadbeen

soughtfromus,andwehavebeengranted

theabilitytodimthelights,theydoleak

morelightthanwehadbeenpromised

initially.Unfortunatelywecannotwinthe

battleagainsttheexpansionofthecampus

–theextensivecarparkatthebottomofÒbservatoryWalk’hasmadewayforthe

constructionofanewhallofresidence.

Whiletheprojectstalled,itisunlikelythat

additionallightpollutioncanbeavoided.

Othercampuseventswhichaffected

operationincludedaconcertorganizedat

theStudentUnion,participantsofwhich

hadparkedtheircarsblockingaccessto

andfromÒbservatoryWalk’whilewehad

ourowncarsparkedonObservatoryHill

andhadbeenentertainingguests.Security

couldnotgetholdofthecarownersand

whileacomplaintwasfiledwiththeStudents’Unionnoresponsewasreceived.

WehavesincereportedittotheSchool’sSafetyCommittee.Anotherevent

concernedapowerspikeneartheendofa

particularlybusyvisit,causingpowerloss.The12”domehadtobeclosedmanually,

forwhichStephenDoodykindlycamein

early(theweatherwasfairthatnight). StephenDoodyandJamesAlbinson

stooddownfromactivedutythisyear,andtheirexpertise,dedicationandfriendship

willbesorelymissed.

EngineeringworkontheThornton

Thedecisionwastakentofabricateanew

focusplatformtosupporttheQSICCD

camera,FLICL-1-10filterwheeland

WynneCorrector.Whilstsimilarindesign

andconstructiontotheonecurrentlyin

service,ithasanumberofsignificant

differences.TheQSIoffersalargerfieldofview,whichshouldfacilitatetestingthe

AWRIntelligentDriveSystem.

Tofacilitateanyfutureexchangeof

instruments,thefocusplatformdesign

criteriacalledforaflatsurfacetomount

theinstrumentonandaquickbutsecure

methodofmountingandremoval.Thisimpliesthatthethreadedrodsthatsupport

themovingpartofthefocusplatform

wouldneedtotravelinwardstowardsthe

lightpathofthetelescope,butnotimpinge

intoit.Oncethelimitsoffocustravelfor

ourinstrumentshavebeendeterminedthe

rodswillbetrimmedtosize.

Figure3CurrentST7imagingtrainonthe24".

Theaboveimage(figure3)ofthe

currentlyinservicefocusplatformshows

howthethreadedrodsprojectoutwards

throughthemovingplateofthefocus

platformbeyondthecurrentSBIGST7XMECCDcamera;itthereforerestrictsthe

instrumentsthatcanbemountedin

betweenthethreadedrods,anditisalsoacumbersometasktodismounttheimaging

train,duetothemethodusedtocouplethe

componentstogether.


StephenDoodycommencedwiththemarkingupandinitialmachiningof

individualpartsusingaMyfordSuper7

lathecurrentlylocatedinourworkshop;wegratefullyacknowledgetheuseofthis

machineprovidedbyDr.JamesAlbinson.

Figure4Oneofsixbearinghousingplatesonthe

Myfordlathe,being`clocked'priortomachiningto

acceptaselfaligningbearing.

Furthermachiningwasdoneby

MatthewStretchusingaBridgeportmilling

machine;wegratefullyacknowledgethe

useoftheworkshopfacilitiesatSuper

MarineinHanleyStaffordshire.Additional

fabricationandmachiningofsmallparts

andinitialassemblywascarriedoutin

StJohnRobinson’sworkshop(figure5).

Figure5StJohnRobinson'sDoreWestburymilling

machine,beingusedtoslotthebaseplate.

Figure6showsanearlyfinishedproduct.Whilstthefilterwheelorientationremains

fixedwithrespecttothefocusplatform,the

QSICCDcamerawhenattachedcanberotatedtozerotheCCDcamerarollangle.

Figure6FLICL-1-10filterwheel,showingthebrass

QSIadaptercoupling,mountedandsecuredbyuseof

quickreleaseturnbucklestothenewfocusplatform.

Thesteppermotorandgearheadusedtodrivethe

threetoothedtimingpulleywheelsaremountedon

thefixedfocusplatformbaseplate.

A2”focusercanbefittedinplaceoftheCCDimagingtrain.Itcanbeusedto

carryaneyepiece,digitalSLRcameraora

smallspectroscope,andusedasanaidininitialcollimationoftheopticalsystemor

forgeneralviewingofthenightsky.We

alsohavetheprovisiontofita4x5plate

holderforwetphotography(seefigure7).

Byunscrewingthebodyofthefilmholderthefocusercanbescrewedintoplace.

Figure7Photographicplateholderattachedtothe

newfocusplatform,withtoitsrightthefocuserwhich

canbeusedinitsstead.

WepurchasedCCDinspectorsoftwareto

helpcollimatetheinstrumentinreal-time.


InearlyNovemberAWRreturnedwithcodeupdatesfortheIntelligentDrive

System.Duringthevisitanumberofpre-

existingsoftwareproblemswereresolved;anunexpectedissuewiththetangentarm

drivingmechanismpreventedfulltraveltotestthesoftandhardmicroswitchstops

thatprotectthetangentarmdrivingrod

fromdamage;thisisbeingrectified.Amajorproblemoccurredwhenaresistor

andadamagedchipwithintheAWRDrive

Boxfailed.Theresistorwasreplacedon

site,butthedamagedchiprequiredthe

DriveBoxtobereturnedtoAWRforrepair,haltingfurthertestingofthecodeupdates.

MaintenanceoftheGrubbanditsdome

The12”Grubbdomedrive,aftertheearlierreportedpowerfailureinFebruarythen

sufferedamechanicalfailureinMarch

whenthepowercouplingrubberspiderexpired(figure8).Ithadtwistedoneofthe

twoVDrivebeltsafull180°–itwasthus

engagingthelargedrivenwheelupside

downwhilstengagingthedriverwheelthe

rightwayup,givingitselfawaybymaking

unusualnoises.Thespiderwasreplaced.

Thegraphicscardinthecomputer

inthe12”pillardiedandwasupgraded.

Figure8Thepowercouplingtodrivethe12"dome

reliesonarubberspider–itfailedbutwasreplaced.

Binoculars’enclosure

Thepowerwasrestoredtotheroll-offshed

afterafatalcablefailure.Thismeantthatit

couldbeusedagainforviewingwiththe

binocularsandforworkbystudentswith

the10”Meadeandspectrographin2018.

Figure9The6"binocularsand10"Meadeinthe

foreground,and8"refractorinthebackground.

Figure10The24"seenfromtheroofnearthe12”dome,withstudentSamYarwood.Credit:JonnyWilliams.


Researchactivities

Whilethisyearwasquietontheresearchandrecordedobservationalfront,asearlier

reportedengineeringpreparationshave

continuedsostaytunedforwhat’stocome!

SolarSystemobservations

TheMoonandSunwereimagedbyKassim

Al-Muflehi(figure11)andTeoMočnik

(figure12),respectively.Thereappearsto

besomereluctancetousetheLunt6”solartelescope,bothforviewingandimaging.

Thismaycallformoretrainingintheuseof

thetelescopeandinimagingwithit.

Figure11TheMoonimagedbyKassimal-Muflehi

throughthe12"Grubb,onthe3rdofDecember2017.

Figure12TheSunimagedbyTeoMočnikthroughthe8”Meadewithaneutraldensitysolarfilteronthe

2ndofSeptember2017.

Publications

In2017wepublished30copiesofthe

seventhannualreport:

“KeeleObservatoryAnnualReport2016”,

J.Th.vanLoon(ed.).KOP8

Thefrontcoverofthe2015AnnualReportwaschosenasthefrontcoverofthefirst

edition(April2017)of`TheKnow’,anew

quarterlymagazineforKeelepeople.

NormanButlercontactedusand

saidhewouldfeatureKeele’sbinocularsin

hisbook`TheHistoryofBinoscopes’,tobe

publishedinearly2018bySpringer. Wetookpartinasurveybythe

ScienceEducationDepartmentofthe

MuseumofAstronomyandRelated

SciencesinRiodeJaneiro,facilitatedbythe

InternationalAstronomicalUnion.Itaims

toidentifyinstitutionsaroundtheworld

thatusehistoricallyvaluabletelescopesin

publicskyobservationactivities.

Outreachactivities

Wewelcomedover3100visitors.Thisis

slightlydownfromrecentyears,inpart

because`StargazingLive’didnotattractthesamelevelsofattentionaspreviously.

Wealsogave`EarthHour’amissagain,due

tounavailabilityofstaff–especiallywith`StargazingLive’followingimmediately.

BBC2’s“StargazingLive”

KeeleObservatorytookpartintheseventheditionofBBC2’s“StargazingLive.BBChad

madesomeoddchoices–schedulingitinSummertimewhenskiesarestillbrightat

timeswhenyoungchildrenmightmakeit,

andputtingSaturnintothelimelightwhenitcouldnotbeviewedintheevening.Also,

theObservatoryDirectorwasabroadandtheconnectionbetweenBBCRadioStoke

andthelittletowninthehillsoutsideof

Romewasappalling.ButIantweetedinabundance,theNorthStaffordshire

AstronomicalSocietywereoutinforce,The

Sentinelcoveredit,andinspiteofthepoorweather300visitorswereentertained.


Mediaactivities

Apartfromtheusualcoverageof

`StargazingLive’,KeeleObservatory

appearedinanumberofmediaand

promotionalbroadcasts.Itfeaturedinthe

`SundayPoliticsShow’onBBCMidlands

(figure13),andwasadvertisedduringthe

`AsktheExpert’chatshowwiththeObservatoryDirectoronBBCRadioStoke.

Wealsofeaturedintwopromotional

videosforKeeleUniversity,anotheroneof

avirtualtouroftheObservatory–viewat

http://youtube.be/LsuQehqiQcg–anda

farewelltotheCassinimission.

Figure13BBCMidlands’GaryfilmingEmmaThomas

forthe`SundayPoliticsShow’.

WealsosupportedStokeCity’sbid

forCityofCulture,withvideoclipsand

lendingthembinocularsandgivingaway

bookletswhenthecommitteevisited.

Publicviewings

Nearto800peoplevisitedtheObservatory

thisyearonitsfreeTuesdayeveningsand

Saturdayafternoons’publicviewings.

Schoolsandteachers

Wehostednofewerthan18visitsby

schools.Inthisway,andincludinga

teacherstrainingevent,wereached760

learnersandover60teachers.

TheLuntsolartelescopewastakentoStoke-on-Trent6thFormCollegeforthe

ScienceFestivalwithabout80learners.

Figure14Stoke-on-Trent'sstratosphericduckatan

altitudeof20miles(top)andDown-to-EarthStudent

Unionistslookingup(bottom).

OpenDaysforprospectivestudents,andvisitsbyinternationalstudentsandby

KeeleAstrophysicsstudents,amountedto

another300visitorsoftheobservatory.

Communitygroupvisits

FamilyFunDaysaw60peoplevisiting,a

Sun-blissedInternationalSUNday(in

collaborationwiththeNorthStaffordshire

AstronomicalSociety)another65,anda

further70peopleenjoyedviewsofthe

Moonafterabrass-bandperformanceof

Holst’s`Planets’inLindsayStudios.

Wehosted27speciallyarranged

visitsbysocietiesand(mainly)scouting

groups,of170adultsand400children.

AdultEducationsessions

Theobservatorycontinuedtoplayhostto

the`KeeleAstrophysicsDiscussionGroup’,

ledbyPaulKlimczak.Thegroupmeteight

times–onceamonthexceptforaSummerbreak;aDecembersessiongotcancelled

duetoheavysnow.Attendancenumbers

thisyearfluctuatedbetween7–10.Theaimofthegroupistoincrease

thevolumeanddiversityofattendance,but

tocontinuebywayofmember-suggestedtopicstodiscuss.ItmaintainsaFacebook

page:KeeleAstrophysicsDiscussionGroup

KeeleObservatoryPublications9

Copyright©2018,KeeleUniversity

Printedby:KeeleSUPrintandCopyShop–http://www.keelesu.com/printandcopyshop

KeeleObservatory–https://www.keele.ac.uk/observatory

Frontcover:KeeleObservatoryinsnowyDecember.Credit:JaccovanLoon

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