As you may already know, from 1957 to1988 Herstmonceux Castle Estate was home to the Royal Greenwich Observatory. In February this year we were delighted to announce that the Estate is once again a hub for stargazers of all ages when Herstmonceux Castle became the new home of local astronomy group, Wealden Astronomers. Their monthly member meetings are held in our seminar rooms and on clear nights, they will also be taking advantage of the excellent observation and imaging opportunities offered by our remote, dark location, far from sources of light pollution one might find in the larger towns nearby.
Members of the group, led by their Chair, John Fox, have already captured some stunning images of the night sky above the Castle using spectacular time-lapse videos.
John commented, “As regular volunteers on stargazing evenings at the adjacent Observatory Science Centre, we already knew how good the viewing can be but to be based on the estate and have the magnificent castle as a backdrop was too good an opportunity to miss. It is also rather fitting that the former home of the Royal Greenwich Observatory will have astronomers inside its walls once again.”
John’s amazing "all sky" fisheye composite image showing star trails was shot at the Castle on Saturday 26 February from the Courtyard Garden and the Elizabethan Garden.
The picture covers an image circle of 210 degrees angle, hence this lens sees behind itself. This makes daylight hand-held images almost impossible because when the camera is level and pointing straight ahead, you get the top of your head, your feet and both hands in the frame! John told us that the only way to guarantee not to be in the picture was to be completely behind the camera when shooting. “To get the Courtyard time exposure I had to trigger the camera from below its vertical field of view and then lay on the ground underneath the tripod.” said John.
In March, John used his talent for photography again to help edit this stunning picture of the Castle, which was created by one of our students, Jack Thompson, to show both his and our solidarity with Ukraine. What we are seeing happen in Ukraine is devastating, and no doubt will have a deep and lasting effect on each one of us. Queen’s Principal, Patrick Deane, commented on the situation recently saying. “As an institution of higher learning dedicated to humanity’s free pursuit of knowledge and truth, Queen’s stands in opposition to this act of aggression, and we are committed to assisting, in whatever ways we can, those who have been affected by these tragic events.”
Jack’s picture attracted a huge amount of attention and support on our social channels. With John’s help, the image combines two photos, one of the Castle lit in yellow and one in blue. Our sincere thanks go to Jack, and John, for creating such an iconic and moving image.