The birthplace of Greenwich Mean Time is celebrating its 350th year by launching the ‘First Light’ project which aims to make learning at the observatory more accessible for everyone, and to inspire visitors to look up at the stars for generations to come.
On a recent tour of the site, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) was told of the ambitions of the project which saw the Peter Harrison Planetarium – London’s only planetarium – and the rest of the south side of the observatory site closed last month to facilitate it.
However the Prime Meridian line, Meridian Observatory and the astronomy galleries within Flamsteed House remain open to the public.
A key pillar of the project is improving access to the observatory’s Great Equatorial Telescope. It is 8.5 metres long, contains a 28-inch wide lens and is the 10th largest telescope of its kind ever built.
The Great Equatorial is housed within the onion dome at the Royal Observatory which is only accessible via a small spiral staircase, making it difficult for those less mobile to see and use it.
However, the First Light project will change that and bring full accessibility to the Great Equatorial Telescope for the first time ever.
Paddy Rodgers, Director of Royal Museums Greenwich, told the LDRS: “We will build a lift and staircase that will ensure there will be universal access to see what is one of the greatest telescopes in Britain.
“This is the sort of treasure that we want to make sure people can get access to and to begin to understand a little bit more about the work that is done here.
“But let’s not forget, we also want to bring joy to people and an understanding of delivering on the original remit of the observatory, to improve the public understanding of astronomy.”
As well as improving accessibility, the project aims to help the public better understand the complex work that astronomers and astrophysicists do at the Royal Observatory.
Mr Rodgers added: “We want to take all the work we do in the classrooms and planetarium and bring them out into the whole museum so that we are really giving people the opportunity to have their curiosity sparked.”
To do this, four new interactive astronomy galleries will invite visitors to learn more about the universe by examining the themes of matter, motion, light and space.
The galleries will help visitors understand how astronomers study and explore space and the stars.
A new entrance pavilion is also being built to better direct people from Greenwich Park into the Royal Observatory.
A new covered courtyard dubbed Astronomers Court will provide a space for more live science events such as experiments, astronomer-led talks and object handling.
Above the new courtyard, a roof terrace will provide space for live streaming of celestial moments through the observatory’s modern telescopes.
Mr Rodgers is hoping these new additions will inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to become more interested in the stars and the universe.
He’s proud of the fact that he brought his own daughter to the Royal Observatory when she was 13 years old, and she had recently completed a masters in physics and astrophysics.
He said: “We can do everything from STEM, to sparking curiosity, to having a really great day out with the family where you talk and argue all the way home in the car. We can offer you this, or a career or opening into science and technology.”
The £77m project is being funded through the Royal Museums Greenwich’s own reserves, Government funding, grants from external foundations and donations from wealthy individuals.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded £9.7million to the project on Tuesday (October 7), coinciding with World Space Week.
The fund’s Chief Executive Eilish McGuinness said: “World Space Week is the perfect time to announce our role as a funding partner in this transformational project, a testament to the wonders of history, astronomy and science.
“The Royal Observatory Greenwich is a beacon of science and learning, and a World Heritage Site of national and international importance, so we are delighted that thanks to National Lottery players this magical place will continue to inspire for generations to come.
“It speaks strongly to our vision for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future.”
