Bayfordbury
Encyclopedia
Bayfordbury, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...

 is the location of the University of Hertfordshire
University of Hertfordshire
The University of Hertfordshire is a new university based largely in Hatfield, in the county of Hertfordshire, England, from which the university takes its name. It has more than 27,500 students, over 2500 staff, with a turnover of over £181m...

's biology/geography field station and observatory. The site is also home to the Science Learning Centre for the East of England
Science Learning Centres
Science Learning Centres are a UK Government initiative to address the need for improved science education and development for teachers.-Origins:...

, which runs training courses for teachers and technicians in science learning for early years, primary and secondary. Also located here is a large stately home, now privately owned. The estate is approximately 50 Ha
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...

 on the south side of the B158.

Astronomical Observatory

The university has numerous telescopes situated at the site, including the 50cm Marsh reflector (named after a former Director of the observatory), a 4.5m radio telescope named after the previous curator of the site, Robert Forrest, a radio interferometer consisting of 3x 3m radio telescopes, and numerous equatorially-mounted 16" Meade LX200 telescopes equipped with research-grade CCD cameras, spectrographs and video capabilities. Sir Patrick Moore
Patrick Moore
Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore, CBE, FRS, FRAS is a British amateur astronomer who has attained prominent status in astronomy as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter of the subject, and who is credited as having done more than any other person to raise the profile of...

was on hand to open a new control building, named after him, from where the computer-controlled telescopes can be operated.

Public Visits

The university organise a variety of public outreach events including monthly open evenings, and group visits for school groups and community groups. All are welcome at these events as there are activities for children, adults and disabled access to some of the telescope and to the Science Learning Centre, which houses the planetarium.

External links




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