[FPSPACE] Spaceguard UK Campaign for NEO Telescope

[David Woods]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	Spaceguard UK Campaign for NEO Telescope
Date: 	Fri, 18 Jan 2008 11:01:13 -0500
From: 	LARRY KLAES <ljk4 at msn.com>
To: 	drwoods1 at earthlink.net


Spaceguard UK Campaign for NEO Telescope

BBC News, 17 January 2008

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/7193928.stm

An observatory which monitors the potential threat to Earth from asteroids has
launched a campaign to raise money to install a new telescope.

The Spaceguard Centre in Knighton, Powys, has been offered the telescope free of
charge by the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge.

It would mean the centre could hunt for near Earth objects as well as tracking
them once they have been discovered.

The cost to install and house the device has been estimated at £54,000.

Known as a Schmidt camera, it has a wide field of view and takes photographs of
the sky, said Jay Tate, who runs the centre.

Mr Tate said images were compared to "see what had moved" and potential comets
or asteroids could then be identified.

He explained why the telescope had been offered to the centre.

"They can't use it in Cambridge anymore because of the light pollution," he 
said.

The Spaceguard Centre monitors asteroids

"This part of Wales has very dark skies so that wouldn't be a problem.

"Nasa searches for near earth objects and it funds six telescopes in the US and
two in Italy and Australia, but no-one else is doing this sort of work in the UK.

"It would mean we could search for objects as well as tracking them once they
have been identified."

The Spaceguard Centre has a robotic telescope which is able to track asteroids
and it also has an observatory which attracts school parties and tourists.

Mr Tate added that no funding was available from the Welsh Assembly Government,
the UK government or the National Lottery to help pay towards installing the 
new telescope.

"I am now turning my attention to private sponsorship," he said.

Knighton's county councillor Ken Harris said the telescope would be a 
"unique tourist attraction".

"It would be great if someone or an organisation could help the Spaceguard
Centre fund this expansion," he added.