The University of Birmingham Observatory was established in 1982 as a teaching laboratory, as a part of the Physics with Astrophysics BSc/MSci degree course.

The original telescope at the Observatory is a computer controlled 0.4m Cassegrain, which is exclusively used for spectroscopy. The Observatory was upgraded in 2006, to add a Meade LX200R 0.35m and an SBIG STL-1001E CCD camera, with automated filter change and focusing. This is used for direct imaging and photometry.

The observatory is used by third year students from October to February. Here students work in groups of three or four and undertake an observing project designed by themselves. Students have access to the observatory for second year project work in February to April. It has been used in the vacation for research purposes resulting in a number of scientific publications.

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Contact: Dr Graham Smith,
Director, Wast Hills Observatory
(gps -at- star.sr.bham.ac.uk)

Observatory weather station data