Thomas King Observatory facts for kids
The Thomas King Observatory is a special building located at the top of the Wellington Botanic Garden in Wellington, New Zealand. It's part of the Carter Observatory, which is a popular spot for learning about space. For many years, this observatory has been used for important research, keeping old equipment safe, teaching people about the stars, and helping everyone enjoy astronomy – the study of everything in space!
Amazing Telescopes Inside
The Thomas King Observatory is home to some incredible telescopes. One of the most famous is the 5-inch Grubb telescope. This telescope was built way back in 1882 in Dublin, Ireland. Even though it's over 140 years old, it's still in amazing condition!
In the past, people used the Thomas King Observatory to safely look at the sun during the day. They used a special filter called a hydrogen-alpha filter. This filter helps you see the sun's surface without hurting your eyes. Since 2006, this special filter has been moved to another telescope. It's now on one of the telescopes next to the main Thomas Cooke refractor, which is in the main observatory building.
How It All Started
Back in the 1910s, a group of people from the Wellington Philosophical Society decided they wanted to learn more about space. They formed a special group called the Astronomical Section. Their goal was to help people study astronomy and build a place where everyone could look at the stars.
At that time, Wellington already had an observatory called the Hector Observatory. However, this observatory was mostly used by the government. It helped them keep track of time and observe the weather. The new Thomas King Observatory was built so that more people could explore the wonders of the night sky.
