Sat 06.07.19. First day of the winter school holidays, I drove to Lake Tekapo to see the Brashear Telescope at the newly opened Dark Sky observatory, Lake Tekapo, S shore. In 2014, we'd lived at Lake Tekapo & lately we'd seen two trucks at different times hauling halves of the white, plastic, observatory, dome roof past our Pleasant Point rental to Lake Tekapo, incl a trek up Burkes Pass.
Leah & I had breakfast at the new Youth Hostel's burger cafe, then lunch at the new Dark Sky cafe, food better than crap served at other Lake Tekapo cafes & Spa. After 50 years storage, then lately refurbishment at Fairlie, The Brashear Telescope was impressively installed in a concrete & glass walled observatory by the Dark Sky cafe, so customers could see the telescope while eating. Through roof to floor, cafe, front windows, there were magnificent views of Lake Tekapo & snowy Two Thumbs Range.
Brashear Telescope info seen on the Dark Sky observatory, concrete wall:
The South Island of New Zealand
has the world's largest Dark
Sky Reserve and the view of the
stars is absolutely spectacular.
The Brashear Telescope is
a masterpiece of Victorian
engineering. I hope that the
Brashear Telescope will inspire
a new generation to learn about
astronomy and reconnect with
the stars.
Our patron, granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth,
Zara Tindall.
The Brashear Telescope is one of the world's most
famous Victorian telescopes. The 18 inch refractor
was created in 1894 by renowned Pennsylvanian
optician John Brashear. The pier, tube and
equatorial mount were fabricated by Warner
& Swasey Co of Cleveland, Ohio. From 1896 to
1954 the Brashear was based at the University of
Pennsylvania.
The Brashear Telescope was hugely important in
the history of astronomy. During Percival Lowell's
studies of Mars, he famously used the telescope to
see sunlight reflected off the Martian polar
icecaps. The Brashear Telescope was also used by
Walter Leight in his early examination of Saturn,
where Leight first observed sub-divisions in
Saturn's rings.
In 1963 the University of Pennsylvania began a
partnership with the University of Canterbury
to establish a Southern Hemisphere astronomy
programme in Takapo / Tekapo at Mt John. The
Brashear Telescope was to be the centrepiece
of the new Mt John observatory but there was
insufficient funding to build the large building
needed and the Brashear Telescope was consigned to
storage for the next 50 years.
In 2016 the University of Canterbury made a gift
of the telescope to Tomorrow's Skies Charitable
Trust for restoration. In 2019 the painstaking
restoration was complete. We would like to acknowledge
Dallas Poll for his dedication to this task and his
incredible eye for detail.
Thank you to the Brian Mason Trust for their
support in restoring the Brashear Telescope.
UC PENN BRIAN MASON University of Canterbury University of Pennsylvania Scientific and Technical Trust
Besides the high dome for the Brashear Telescope, the Dark Sky observatory bldg had a flat roof, high at the back, tilted towards the lake, with high, tilt-slab, concrete, back walls, blocking lake & mountain views for restaurants behind. An architectural cockup.
After lunch I parked at Tekapo Spa carpark & we climbed Mt John path to Mt John observatories on top. At the cafe we had tea while viewing Mackenzie Country, lakes & Alpine views. Many Asian tourists gawked & took selfies too.
Since our arrival in Lake Tekapo nearly 6 years ago, there was lots of development: Pedestrian bridge opened over Lake Tekapo outlet; revamped tourist carpark / buspark & fencing by tourist overcrowded Church of the Good Shepherd, Lake Tekapo shore; more campsites at Lake Tekapo campsite, new public toilets there, by the boat club; new Dark Sky observatory & cafe; toll entry for the road up Mt John to University of Canterbury observatories; overcrowding at Tekapo Spa carpark, due to walkers up Mt John & Spa customers; new Youth Hostel & cafe; new 4 Square supermarket & public toilets; congestion at public carpark, due to few carparks, supermarket entry & busparks (no bus shelter built, cockup); The Cairns housing development; new kindergarten; massive new housing development beyond Aorangi Cres, causing Lake Tekapo School to expand with new buildings 3rd term, 2019 (school bldgs. made in Christchurch, trucked to Lake Tekapo); Godley Hotel, revamped facade; another new hotel mooted; never mind Freedom Campers crapping all over the show...
Lake Tekapo, 700m above sea level, surrounded by Alps, was a cold place. Lake Tekapo village prided itself on clear sky & no light pollution. The above developments, especially new housing, would cause massive air pollution (due to home fires' smoke) & destruction of clear sky above Lake Tekapo. Dark Sky indeed.
Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.
See Brashear Telescope, Lake Tekapo.
See Church of the Good Shepherd, Lake Tekapo.
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