Local observatory is seeing stars

The night sky as seen via Brough Observatory

Local sky watchers are celebrating the International Year of Astronomy at an observatory in East Yorkshire.

The International Year of Astronomy is a global celebration of the scientific study of the night sky.

As part of the festivity, the Blackburn Leisure Astronomy Society is hosting a week long event called Moonwatch at their observatory in Brough.

The society is opening up their observatory to the public in order to introduce people to astronomy.

"The general idea of the Moonwatch weeks is to get people, who've been looking at the moon and taking it for granted, to see it in far more detail and appreciate that it is a beautiful thing." said local astronomer Paul Reed.

"When you look at it through a large telescope you can see smaller craters and detailed patterns of light and shadow. The crater rims can make incredibly interesting patterns."

The observatory in Brough was built in 2001 by the Blackburn Leisure Astronomy Society and is sited on the recreation ground of a sports centre.

In 2005 the society obtained lottery funding to purchase a large computerised telescope, which has since allowed members to get a more detailed and pristine observation of the night sky.

The society are running a Moonwatch event from the 24th October to 1st November 2009.