Whakatane Astronomical Society facts for kids
| Formation | January 1, 1963 |
|---|---|
| Type | NGO |
| Location |
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Region served
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Eastern Bay of Plenty, New Zealand |
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President
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Norman Izett |
| Affiliations | Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand |
| Website | [1] |
The Whakatane Astronomical Society is a group in Whakatane, New Zealand. It's for anyone who loves looking at the stars and learning about space! This group is run by volunteers and doesn't aim to make money.
They started way back in September 1960. Since 1964, they've had a special building called an observatory in Whakatane. It's always open for sky gazing! They are also connected to the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand.
The society holds special "observing nights" on Tuesdays and Fridays. During these nights, anyone can visit the observatory. For a small fee, you can look through their powerful telescopes. A society member will be there to guide you and answer questions. They can also arrange special viewing nights for school groups.
What Telescopes Do They Use?
The society's observatory has three main telescopes for exploring the night sky:
- A large 350mm Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope.
- A 250mm Meade Instruments Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope with a special "GoTo" control. This means it can automatically find and point to objects in the sky!
- A custom-built 150mm refractor telescope. This one is also equipped with a special filter for safely viewing the Sun.
