On Friday 14th January, I was fortunate to be part of a group of Physics students from Years 10-13 who visited the Alston Observatory for an Astronomy Masterclass.
The evening started off with us learning about how the JWST (James Webb Space Telescope) was constructed and launched into space. One of the most interesting parts was realising how specific the measurements of the telescope had to be in order for it to work as intended.
We were shown one of the telescopes at the observatory which is worth approximately £300,000. This telescope was used to take amazing observations of space. At the end of the night, we saw incredible pictures of nebulas that showed the real natural beauty of space, like the Heart Nebula and my personal favourite, the Crab Nebula.
Overall it was an amazing night and we learned so much about astrophotography. I would definitely revisit Alston Observatory.
Arran Dignan
Year 11
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