Bayfordbury Observatory

The University of Hertfordshire's Bayfordbury Observatory is located about 30 miles north of central London UK and is a teaching observatory for their students on their astronomy/astrophysics related courses. The observatory also hosts open evenings and group visits.

The site consists of seven optical telescopes each housed in their own domes along with 4 radio telescopes and a dedicated solar telescope. Funding allowed the purchase and installation of a larger telescope to replace a smaller computerised instrument on the existing concrete pier. A PlaneWave CDK600 telescope system which comprises a PlaneWave CDK24" OTA and L-600 mount in altaz mode was installed atop a sand-filled 0.6m Baader Heavy Pillar (BHP). The telescope was installed in September 2021. Clear skies in the evening also meant we were able to do the testing and set up on the same day.

Read the full story of this telescope/mount installation with many additional images and links also on our news blog