We are the first and only publicly accessible observatory in the Marlborough region designed to take advantage of the regions endless sunshine, exceptional clear skies and minimal light pollution.
Eco Crater Observatory Design:
A crater observatory provides a low-cost model for blocking out light pollution (see below) from the horizon as well as providing shelter from wind. These are an established approach for informal outdoors observatories.
Our design includes having the earth bank of the crater contoured to allow for seating. This provides an amphitheatre approach. Our Astro-tour guides can then present to the audience and various telescopes can be set-up in the arena for the visitors to access.
The concept has an extremely low environmental footprint. Containers are planned to be used for the storage of equipment, thus making it possible to remove the equipment from site during the closed summer months. Containers are easy to secure and have been painted as part of the design.
Technology:
Our Observatory is fitted out with the latest high-quality equipment. We have a range of telescope equipment ranging from binoculars to 6”, 9” and 14” Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes which will be set-up for viewing specific celestial objects by our astronomers to the digital eVScope. Visitors will be able to connect their own cell-phones to some of the telescopes and capture their own photos, providing a great memento of any visit. See this photo of the moon taken with a cellphone and our 6″ scope.
The ‘mobile classroom’ container contains our virtual reality equipment. An ‘astro tour-guide’ will give a tour of the night’s sky using a laser pointer to mark out areas of interest.
Location Research:
The observatory is located in the Omaka Valley which is categorised as ‘Bortle Class 3’ for light pollution which is defined as a ‘rural sky’. This is defined as ‘Dark overhead, but light pollution on the horizon’. This light pollution on the horizon is countered by the crater design of the observatory which restricts the horizon view, thus blocking this out.
Sponsors:
We are grateful to the following sponsors:
Pelorus Trust, Mazda Foundation, Redwood Trust, Pub Charity Trust, Air Rescue Services , Marlborough Lines
Gascoigne Wicks Lawyers, pcMedia, Wallace Diack Chartered Accountants, RBG Lighting and Ranui Solar.
TG Excavations , Fulton Hogan, Marlborough District Council, TnL Freighting, The Pacific.Net,
Special thanks to Andrea Oldham for use of her concept design art work and to our volunteers who put in countless hours working on the planning and construction of the Observatory.
Contact us:
Email us at info@omakaobservatory.co.nz or click here to join our mailing list.