Stonyhurst Observatory

Stonyhurst Observatory
The rear of the 1866 Observatory
OrganizationStonyhurst College
LocationStonyhurst, Lancashire, United Kingdom
Coordinates53°48′N 2°30′W / 53.80°N 2.50°W / 53.80; -2.50
Altitude115m / 377 feet
WeatherAverage temperature: 8.4°C[1]
Established1838
Websitehttps://www.stonyhurst.ac.uk
Stonyhurst Observatory is located in the United Kingdom
Stonyhurst Observatory
Stonyhurst Observatory
Location in the United Kingdom
Stonyhurst Observatory is located in Lancashire
Stonyhurst Observatory
Stonyhurst Observatory
Location in Lancashire
Stonyhurst Observatory is located in the Borough of Ribble Valley
Stonyhurst Observatory
Stonyhurst Observatory
Location in Ribble Valley Borough
[edit on Wikidata]

The Stonyhurst Observatory is a functioning observatory and weather station at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire, England. Built in 1866, it replaced a nearby earlier building, built in 1838, which is now used as the Typographia Collegii.[2]

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The records of temperature, which continue to be taken there, began in 1846 and are among the oldest continuous daily records in the world[3] (the very oldest continuous daily temperature records have been taken at the Old Stockholm Observatory since 1756).[4] In 2004, Stonyhurst replaced Ringway as one of four weather stations used by the Met Office to provide central England temperature data (CET); revised urban warming and bias adjustments have since been applied to the Stonyhurst data.[5]

During the course of the twentieth century, the observatory fell out of use for astronomical purposes and after the Second World War its telescope, parts of which dated to the 1860s, was sold. When its private owner came to re-sell it, the College was able to buy it back and restore it to its original home.[6] See: Stonyhurst Refractor

The observatory is currently run by Classics master Fintan O'Reilly, who also teaches GCSE astronomy. Occasionally access is permitted to the observatory for visitors.[7]

  1. ^ World Climate Retrieved 21 Oct 2009
  2. ^ T.E. Muir, Stonyhurst, (St Omers Press, Gloucestershire. Second edition, 2006) ISBN 0-9553592-0-1 pp.145-7
  3. ^ BBC Two - Earth: The Climate Wars, Fightback, Dr Iain Stewart.
  4. ^ Retrieved 20 September 2008
  5. ^ Met Office Retrieved 21 Oct 2009
  6. ^ Telescope Archived 2008-05-05 at the Wayback Machine Article on Stonyhurst's telescope 2002. Retrieved 18 July 2008
  7. ^ Stonyhurst article Archived 2008-12-30 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 22 Oct 2009