Seeing stars from the highest point in London
Hampstead observatory
The observatory is near the corner of Heath Street and Hampstead Grove, near Whitestone Pond, Hampstead, at the highest point in London. It is on a high grass covered underground reservoir, enclosed by iron railings. It is well worth a visit.
The telescope
The telescope is a very fine six-inch Cooke refracting telescope. It was originally built in 1899 and has been modified with a modern equatorial mounting featuring a remote controlled guiding system.
The Cooke is a first class instrument, and suitable for an urban location where light pollution is an ever increasing problem.
Highlights in the night sky
Thanks to light pollution, visitors can only see the brighter deep sky objects. Nevertheless, under average conditions it gives wonderful views of the Moon and planets. It is also superb for double stars.
The observatory is run by the Hampstead Scientific Society, which also runs a programme of lectures through the year.
Submitted by: Hampstead Scientific Society, 20 January 2007
