The group that oversees an observatory near Sidmouth whose patron is Queen guitarist Brian May wants to take ownership of its buildings.
The group that oversees an observatory near Sidmouth whose patron is Queen guitarist Brian May wants to take ownership of its buildings.
The Norman Lockyer Observatory Society has made an expression of interest to East Devon District Council, which owns the historic properties.
If the council gives the go-ahead, the society would then submit a business plan.
The observatory contains several historic and modern telescopes, along with a planetarium, radio astronomy equipment and displays of astronomical information.
Sir Brian May, the guitarist of world-renowned rock band Queen, is its patron.He took over in 2012 after Sir Patrick Moore died.
According to the observatory’s chairman, David Strange, the observatory is a “thriving community of amateur astronomers, amounting to 300 members who promote public awareness in science and astronomy, in particular with public open evenings for viewing the night sky”.
Run by volunteers, it has a calendar of events, including this Saturday [8 March] ahead of Science Week.
Norman Lockyer became the world’s first professor of astronomical physics in 1885 at the Royal College of Science, which is now part of Imperial College, London. There a Solar Physics Observatory was built for him from which he directed research until 1913.
Among his achievements, Lockyer identified helium in the sun’s spectrum and was the founding editor of Nature magazine.
Retiring to Salcombe Regis, he established the observatory on the cliffs overlooking Lyme Bay.
It was originally known as the Hill Observatory until being renamed after Lockyer’s death in 1920.
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