Visiting an Observatory

I will be going on holiday to Spain in the next few weeks and I found that there is an Observatory near to where I am going. www.mpia-hd.mpg.de/Public/CAHA/about.html

I have never visited an observatory and wondered if amateurs are welcome at such facilities. Any advice welcome.

Thanks.

Don

I will be going on holiday to Spain in the next few weeks and I found that there is an Observatory near to where I am going. www.mpia-hd.mpg.de/Public/CAHA/about.html

I have never visited an observatory and wondered if amateurs are welcome at such facilities. Any advice welcome.

Thanks.

Don

don,
i think they are welcome at most observatories as most of them have some form of outreach. i would email them and ask them first though as the might not take too kindly to you turning up on the doorstep unannounced.
stephen.

Good point. Also, considering it is tourist season, chances are there are public sessions, to which you may only attend at certain times. Do the e-mail thing and find out in advance!

I have never visited an observatory and wondered if amateurs are welcome at such facilities. Any advice welcome.

I've found that attitudes vary. Some observatories have nice visitors centers and opening hours and you can just turn up. For others you need to call in advance and they might get some grad student to give you a tour.

Best thing to do would be to drop them an email.

Guys, I'm enthusiastic not stupid! I wouldn't dream of turning up without first contacting them via email or phone.

Can anyone tell me what a typical visit to an observatory is like? I don't want to go there pretending I know more than I do. Let's face it: I'd be found out before I got through the door!

Don

Guys, I'm enthusiastic not stupid! I wouldn't dream of turning up without first contacting them via email or phone.

I usually do

On a couple of occasions I've spotted a white dome on a hilltop, checked the map, found out it was an observatory and just driven up! Thats how I found Lick.

Can anyone tell me what a typical visit to an observatory is like? I don't want to go there pretending I know more than I do. Let's face it: I'd be found out before I got through the door!

It varies between them. Most that I've visited have some sort of visitor center open during the day, even if its just a room of some old equipment and some pretty pictures, or posters. There is usually some sort of tour, usually guided. Older domes, particularly ones not currently used for research, you'll get to see the scopes close up. For the newer or bigger scopes you'll get as far as the control room or in some cases and observation deck or room. All visits are during the day when there is no work going on.

Only in accademically disused domes, where they have an outreach program will you get to see through the scopes at night. If the observatory is still used for research you'll probably politely get told to leave well before sunset.

Actually I've found in some cases that I've known more about the equipment than the guides! even if they are postgrads using the equipment. These folks just queue up experiments and get data back. They wont have a clue of the focal length, optical design, or much else about the scopes. It's just a bit of a provessional -v- amateur mismatch. Of course many observatories have staff that can tell you more than you ever wanted to know about every detail of the whole observatory!

Hope thats of some help. It really varies from observatory to observatory.