Curtain rises on vast star studded show

Apr 26 2008 by Ben Guy, The Journal

STARGAZERS caught their first glimpse of the night sky from the region’s newest observatory last night. The Kielder Observatory opened to members of the public and professional astronomers, offering an opportunity to look deep into the universe.

The £450,000 observatory is designed to combine art and science and was commissioned as part of the art and architecture programme being run at the forest park.

The observatory was the brainchild of Gary Fildes, a founder member of the Kielder Observatory Astronomical Society.

He said: “It is absolutely fantastic and fulfils all the dreams of putting an observatory on the site.

“It is totally unique as nowhere else in England has such an elite, purpose-built facility sited in a location where the dark skies are as pure as at Kielder.”

He said: “There is nothing else quite like it in the world. Normally if you want to go to an observatory you have to go in a built-up area, but this one is situated under the darkest sky in the country. It is in a location that lets you see the sky as it is supposed to be seen.”

The observatory is designed to resemble a ship’s hull and visitors are able to walk along the deck of the building and take in the views of the landscape as well as the sky.

It is built almost totally of wood, a combination of Siberian larch and North American Douglas fir and whitewood, and is powered by wind and solar energy.

The opening of the building was supported by the commissioning of three pieces of themed artwork, part of NewcastleGateshead’s Culture10 festivals series.

Kielder Partnership director Elisabeth Rowark said: “We have got a great opportunity to make the sky above Kielder accessible to lots of people and let them get up close and personal with something they don’t usually see.

“It is going to be at the sharp end of astronomy, but it also allows schoolchildren and other visitors to come along and have an experience.”

Work on the observatory was also supported by the NewcastleGateshead Initiative and Northumberland Strategic Partnership.

The observatory will be run by the Kielder Observatory Astronomical Society. Anyone wishing to visit should contact the society via www.kielder-observatory.org

BEWARE 2029

BECAUSE of its remote location Kielder, with its inky night skies, is one of the best places in Europe to see the stars.

With almost no light pollution from settlements, the area has breathtaking views of the universe.

Organisers expect about 400 people to attend events this weekend which include family days with tours of the building, talks and model-making making workshops.

A star diary has been opened in which astronomers plot star charts for the next 100 years.

Events to look forward to include a near miss with a meteor in 2029, and Halley’s Comet in 2061.

It’s not just for scientists

MORE than 200 designers competed to create the Kielder Observatory, with London architect Charles Barclay eventually winning the job.

He said it was deliberately removed from hi- tech materials many associate with astronomy.

"The use of hi-tech materials could suggest that stargazing is exclusively for scientists or professors. We wanted the structure to have a simplicity and robustness appropriate to the site and a timeless quality to remind us that man has always gazed at the stars down the ages.

"The structure also has an industrial feel and echoes the timber trestles of the coal mines that used to operate in the Kielder Valley and the timber bridges of the railways that served them."

Kielder Observatory Astronomical Society’s Gary Fildes said although many high quality plans had been put forward, the Brixton firm’s design had stood out. "We hope the building will provide an intriguing landmark for Kielder that a wide selection of people, ranging from daytime ramblers to nocturnal stargazers, can enjoy."