Astronomy & Science Education Centre
The Tamworth Regional Astronomy Club Inc is delighted to have been accepted by Tamworth Regional Council as a Section 355 Committee and allocated a portion of land via a lease arrangement at Victoria Park in the Tamworth Botanic Gardens precinct to establish an Astronomy & Science Education Centre which will also serve as the meeting location for TRAC meetings and events.
The Centre, to be constructed in three stages, will include a large meeting/conference room and interactive display area, a roll-off roof observatory, a domed observatory and planetarium theatre as shown in the concept drawings below.
The Centre, to be constructed in three stages, will include a large meeting/conference room and interactive display area, a roll-off roof observatory, a domed observatory and planetarium theatre as shown in the concept drawings below.
The Centre will provide an important base for the Club's regular meetings, public observing nights, open days, educational activities, conferences, inter-club amateur astronomy gatherings and a host of related events.
The convenient location of the Centre on the north-eastern edge of Tamworth will enable interested people, young and old, to learn more about the fascinating science of astronomy and view and photograph the wonders of the heavens directly though large telescopes. The Club's close links with Lowe Observatory near Bendemeer will also provide an opportunity for more advanced members to undertake astronomical research activities at one of the largest privately owned observatories in Australia.
As we say at TRAC - "The sky is the limit!"
The 'Jos Roberts 36 inch telescope'
The Tamworth Regional Astronomy Club is indeed fortunate to be the owner of the magnificent 'Jos Roberts' 36 inch, F4.9 folded Dobsonian telescope. This towering instrument, one of the biggest "portable" telescopes in Australia, was acquired in 2015 by Warwick and Margie Schofield and donated to the Club. Warwick and Margie purchased the telescope from Mr Jos Roberts who constructed the instrument and their generous donation has equipped TRAC with a telescope which has enormous potential to generate a wide interest in astronomy across the region. Being transportable, the Club will be able to take the telescope to locations such as schools to conduct viewing nights in addition to its planned regular use at the Victoria Park TRAC clubhouse and observatories. Below are a few photos of this amazing telescope.
The Hewitt Camera
In November 2016, the Club acquired the Hewitt Camera. It is one of only two such Schmidt cameras built in 1962 as part of a multi-million pound British Government project to photograph earth orbiting satellites. It had been designed originally by Joseph Hewitt to photograph the British “Blue Streak” Rockets on test in Australia in the 1950s. The camera weighs 8½ tonnes and features a Grubb Parsons 34 inch mirror and correcting lens. The Hewitt’s twin is housed on display in the Science Centre at the former Royal Greenwich Observatory. The Hewitt Camera project to make the two camera/telescopes is believed to have cost some GBP £5.5 million.
The 13 inch 'Robert Barnet Rigel Telescope'
The Club has also recently been donated the 13 inch ‘Robert Barnett Rigel Telescope’. Built by the late Robert Barnett (an electronics engineer contracted to the British Defence Department) the telescope has a heavy German equatorial mount and is beautifully engineered. The primary mirror is likely a Grubb Parsons, the finest optical engineering in the UK. We are extremely grateful to the Barnett family for their generous donation of this precision instrument to the Club.
The 16 inch Lowe Reflector Telescope
The owner of Lowe Observatory, Mr Lindsay Lowe, has generously donated a 16 inch, F5 Newtonian telescope to TRAC. This telescope, which Lindsay used for many years in his private backyard observatory, will be updated and installed in a new domed observatory near the TRAC Astronomy & Science Education Centre at Victoria Park. The telescope is due to undergo a complete restoration in the near future.
4 inch Unitron Refractor
The Club has also secured a beautiful, 4 inch, f/15 Unitron refractor telescope. This classic telescope, with its fine optics, is a fantastic telescope for planetary and lunar viewing and is a wonderful addition to our collection of instruments.