Last updated 20 Mar 2024

Home
What's New
Location
Equipment
Software
Methods
Results
Gallery
Links
Ephemerides
Moon etc
Meetings
Contact Us
Site Map

Ascot (MPC Code 986)

Ascot was an observatory used by Dr. R.L. Waterfield (1900-1986) in the grounds of Imperial College London's field station at Silwood Park, Sunninghill, near Ascot and was assigned Minor Planet Observatory code 986.

The observatory was set up in 1948/49 (see Proceedings of Observatories in MNRAS, Vol. 109, p.178) and operated until 1968 when Dr. Waterfield moved the instruments to Woolston, Somerset (MPC Observatory code 993).

Some details of the circumstances leading to the observatory being built in the grounds at Silwood Park can be found in the book "The History Of Imperial College London, 1907-2007" by Hannah Gay, publically accessible portions of the book are available and reproduced with highlighting here:

Mention of the observatory can be found on page 3 of Dr. Waterfield's obituary in Journal of the British Astronomical Association, vol.97, no.4, p.211-214

The exact location of the observatory within Silwood Park is unclear, but this Google Earth image assuming a central location within the current extent of the buildings gives the coordinates as:

Longitude 000° 38' 22' W, latitude 51° 24' 32" N, height 69 m


(Incidentally, the house at lower right, just above the "Go" of Google Earth is Tittenhurst Park, where John Lennon wrote Imagine).


Home Whats New Location Equipment Software Methods Results  
Gallery Links Ephemerides Moon Meetings Contact Us Site map

© Copyright 2003 - 2024 Peter Birtwhistle