— NASA's Hubble confirms that galaxies are the ultimate recyclers — New observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope are expanding astronomers' understanding of the ways in which galaxies continuously recycle immense volumes of hydrogen gas and heavy…
— Frozen comet had a watery past, University of Arizona scientists find — For the first time, scientists have found convincing evidence for the presence of liquid water in a comet, shattering the current paradigm that comets never get warm enough to melt…
— Sugar-grain sized meteorites rocked the climates of early Earth and Mars — Bombardments of 'micro-meteorites' on Earth and Mars four billion years ago may have caused the planets' climates to cool dramatically, hampering their ability to support life, according…
— Astrophysicist: White dwarfs could be fertile ground for other Earths — Planet hunters have found hundreds of planets outside the solar system in the last decade, though it is unclear whether even one might be habitable. But it could be that the best place…
— Integral spots matter a millisecond from doom — ESA's Integral gamma-ray observatory has spotted extremely hot matter just a millisecond before it plunges into the oblivion of a black hole. But is it really doomed? These unique observations…
— MESSENGER spacecraft to swing into orbit around Mercury — At 8:45 p.m. EDT on March 17, the MESSENGER spacecraft will execute a 15-minute manoeuvre that will place it into orbit around Mercury, making it the first craft ever to do so, and…
— Baby stars born to 'napping' parents — Cardiff University astronomers believe that a young star's long 'napping' could trigger the formation of a second generation of smaller stars and planets orbiting around it…
— Oldest objects in solar system indicate a turbulent beginning — Scientists have found that calcium, aluminium-rich inclusions (CAIs), some of the oldest objects in the solar system, formed far away from our sun and then later fell back into the…
— Oxygen isotope analysis tells of the wandering life of a dust grain 4.5 billion years ago — Scientists have performed a micro-probe analysis of the core and outer layers of a pea-sized piece of a meteorite some 4.57 billion years old to reconstruct the history of its formation,…
Keele University reaches for the stars
Keele University's observatory is set to be restored in a 700,000 GBP project to create a top visitor attraction and promote astronomy and the physical sciences to students and the community.
The University plans to add new equipment, demonstrations, simulations and exhibition space to make the Observatory, which was built in 1962 and has long been a feature of the Keele skyline, into a regional science visitor centre.
Established to house the historic Grubb telescope - which was built in Oxford in 1873 and used by Einstein on a visit. to Oxford - the Observatory was expanded in the 1970s and now boasts four telescopes.
Members of Keele's Astrophysics Group, as part of a consortium of universities known as the Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP) project, last week announced they had discovered three new planets 850 light years from Earth.
Generations of schoolchildren have had their first taste of astronomy at the campus' Observatory, and University staff plan to forge strong links between the Observatory and the Keele-based Science Learning Centre West Midlands and the University's Widening Participation Unit to enhance community outreach projects.
The new proposals would afford even more visitors the exciting experience of physical science, including geology, environmental science and weather systems, as well as providing a home for cutting edge research.
Wheelchair access will be improved and the Observatory will be kitted out with up-to-date teaching equipment, such as interactive whiteboards and 3D electronic projection, and a refreshment area.
Professor of Astrophysics Nye Evans said: 'The Observatory has long been popular with staff, students and the community, and this project will give Keele an unrivalled centre of which they can be justly proud. The Observatory has made a significant contribution to Keele's activities over the past 40 years and can now continue to do so into the 21st Century.'
The Observatory is open to the public every Tuesday between 8 PM and 10:30 PM (irrespective of weather), except the second Tuesday in May to the second Tuesday in August, and on Saturday afternoons from 2 PM to 5 PM.
Or subscribe for our Newsletter, a free e-mail publication. It is published practically every day.
Planck highlights the complexity of star formation
Starry-eyed Hubble celebrates 20 years of awe and discovery
VISTA captures celestial cat's hidden secrets
Wisconsin fireball caught on tape