Marina Towers Observatory facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Marina Towers Observatory |
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| Alternative names | Swansea Observatory; Tower of the Ecliptic |
| General information | |
| Location |  Swansea, Wales |
| Address | Maritime Quarter, Swansea SA1 1YB |
| Coordinates | 51°36′50.4″N 3°56′12″W / 51.614000°N 3.93667°W |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 4 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Robin Campbell |
The Marina Towers Observatory is a cool building located in the Maritime Quarter of Swansea, a city on the coast of southern Wales. It's also known as the Swansea Observatory or the Tower of the Ecliptic. This special tower used to be home to the biggest telescope in Wales!
Discovering the Marina Towers Observatory
A Look at the Observatory
The Marina Towers Observatory was designed by an architect named Robin Campbell in 1989. It's made up of two towers and got some money from a European Heritage Grant to help build it.
From 1993 until February 2010, the building was used by the Swansea Astronomical Society. This group of people loves studying stars and planets. After they moved out, the observatory went back to the Swansea City Council.
What Was Inside?
The very top of the tower has a beautiful stained glass window. It was designed by an artist named David Pearl.
The observatory used to have a huge Shafer-Maksutov telescope. This was a very powerful telescope, and it was the second largest of its kind in the whole world! It helped people see amazing things in space. However, this big telescope was removed after the Swansea Astronomical Society left the building.
