A new observatory in Co Roscommon will allow astronomers anywhere to control powerful telescopes and conduct experiments over the Internet. Dick Ahlstrom reports
Neither rain nor sleet nor cloudy skies could stop a private investor who has chosen Co Roscommon as home for one of the most advanced astronomical observatories anywhere in Europe.
Several hundred thousand euro have already been spent on four separate computer-controlled observatories at Kingsland, near Boyle, Co Roscommon. They can be directed remotely by observers anywhere in the world who have access to an Internet connection and can afford to buy time on powerful instruments, including a large, 36-inch reflector designed and built here.
Not since the Third Earl of Rosse, William Parsons, built the world-famous Birr Castle telescope in the 1840s has the Republic seen such a development. It will provide researchers here with useful new instruments for studies of the planets, near-Earth objects such as asteroids and objects outside our own galaxy.
"The reason I am doing it is I want to provide an observatory of this scale in Ireland so the facilities will be available for astronomers," states the project's promoter, Eamonn Ansbro, an amateur astronomy enthusiast. "It has been a significant investment. You have access to some of the best equipment in western Europe. Any astronomer would be very happy to use this equipment."
The island of Ireland hardly seems like the best place for an advanced new observatory given our unco-operative weather. The frequent threat of rain is offset, however, by a great advantage - a near absence of light pollution. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find dark skies unaffected by urban light sources, and our western seaboard enjoys some of the darkest skies in Europe.
"We explored a number of counties and found that north Roscommon is better for light pollution," Ansbro explains. He also looked "in some detail" at the local weather situation and still stuck with Co Roscommon.
The Canary Islands are host to some of the finest telescopes in the world, not least because the islands offer about 200 nights of clear skies each year. Yet Ireland experiences about 80 clear nights a year, Ansbro says, giving plenty of opportunity to observe. And north Roscommon has somewhat less cloud than good, low-light locations closer to the Mayo coastline.
Ansbro also admits to one other factor. Although born in Britain, both his parents came from Co Mayo, so he immediately went west when looking for a home for the observatory.
The 4.5 acre site is perched on the brow of a hill, giving it a clear view in all directions. Much of the equipment is in place, with engineering work on the robotic systems still underway. The software to control this is being developed here, says Ansbro.
There are four separate observatories; five-inch, 16-inch and 36-inch-diameter reflector telescopes, each in their own building; and an automated camera cluster involved in international SETI (search for extraterrestrial intelligence) research.
"Each observatory has its own computer facilities," says Ansbro, both for the transmission of data and to support robotic remote control of the telescopes. He saw similar systems in the US allowing remote access to telescopes, and decided he would develop a similar approach here.
The cost for access to the systems is within international norms, he says, but might still be prohibitive for interested amateurs. These users might want to join forces to share the cost and still gain access to these advanced telescopes and related facilities.
Ansbro believes that the bulk of users will be graduate and post-graduate students and academics. For this reason, he is installing the latest ancillary devices including spectrographs, all types of filters for isolating visible and non-visible wavelengths and specialised video cameras that can record very faint optical sources.
SPECIALISED CCD cameras, each 10 million times more sensitive to light than the human eye, are fitted on the 36-inch and 16-inch telescopes, he says. The instruments track an object, while the cameras capture the image for later study.
"The big fella is really good for everything. It has a very wide field of view," says Ansbro. Planetary and asteroid studies will take up much of its time, he believes. The 16-inch telescope will be useful for extra-galactic work and in searches for the optical signals from supernovae.
The five-inch is good for near-Earth object studies. "There is a lack of telescopes around the world to deal with this," Ansbro says, although he points out that Armagh Observatory is a world leader in research into asteroids and near Earth objects.
He expects all systems to be installed and running by August with testing completed in time for a launch in September.