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ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN AFRICA
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Leiden
Southern Station (Hartebeespoort)
1954
- 1978
Terrain run by Pretoria Technicon: 1978 - present
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Current
Information
The Observatory has closed down. The Current Information
section is not relevant to this Observatory.
Address:
Location: |
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Noted
for:
Variable star observation
Summary:
Needing an observing site with a better climate than that available
in Holland, an agreement was reached late in 1923 between Leiden and
Union (Republic) Observatories, whereby the facilities of the two institutions
were made available to each other. In search of light pollution free
skies, Leiden moved to Hartebeespoort. In time light pollution
caught up with this site as well and it was closed down.
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History:
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Due to very close ties with Leiden Observatory in Holland, an agreement
of co-operation was reached in 1923 between the Union and
Leiden Observatories. Astronomers from each establishment were
free to make use of the facilities of the other. Since the night
skies in Transvaal were infinitely better than in Holland, the flow
of visiting astronomers was virtually one way. [Moore,p.107;
Van Herk]
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By 1929 Leiden Observatory decided to send a telescope and
permanent staff to Union Observatory. The telescope, known as the
Rockefeller
twin
telescope, was only installed in 1938 due to delays. The South
African Government provided funds for a building at the Union
Observatory to house the Rockefeller telescope. The first astronomer
was Enjar
Hertzsprung
(Hertzsprung - Russel Diagram)
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The Leiden Observers were concentrating on variable stars. By 1957
they had accumulated 12 000 photographic plates taken
at the Union Observatory.
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With the growing light pollution problem in Johannesburg it
was decided in 1954 to establish an outstation at Hartebeespoort.
This became known as the Leiden Southern Station.
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The agreement was that the Hartebeespoort facility was operated
by Leiden Observers, but it was an official out station of the Union
(later Republic) Observatory, and as such came under Finsen's
jurisdiction even though it was virtually outonomous.
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Some of the Union observatory instruments were also moved
to the site.
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By the time of the move to the Hartebeespoort the Flux
Collector
telescope arrived and was installed at Hartebeespoort. The
flux collector was the first fully automated telescope (what we
call today a Go To Telescope) in Southern Africa. Due to continuing
light pollution problems this telescope was moved in1978 to La Silla
in Chile.
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After the Republic Observatory closed down, the Leiden Southern
station continued to operate until it was sold to Pretoria
Technikon. [Hilton]
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- Willem
de Sitter: Colleague of Einstein, and one of the pioneers
of the Relativity Theory. De Sitter was a personal friend of Innes,
from the Union Observatory. Due to their friendship the agreement
to share facilities, which led to the Southern Station, came about.
(To my knowledge he never came to South Africa) [Moore, p.107.]
- Enjar
Hertzsprung:
The first astronomer to be sent by Leiden to the Union Observatory.
He, independently from Henry Norris Russel, around 1913, had
first put forward the idea that later became known as the Hertzsprung
- Russel Diagram. [Mitton]
- H
van Gent:
Variable star observer. He worked mainly on the Franklin -Adams
telescope (property of Union Observatory)
- Willem
van den Bos:
He went to Johannesburg (from Leiden) to do double star work. van den Bos stayed and went on to become the Director of the Union
Observatory.
- A
Wessellink:
(1946 - 1950) Superintendent of the station.
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Variable
star observation.
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- Rockefeller
Twin
16 inch Telescope, 1938. (first installed at Union Observatory,
moved to Hartebeespoort 1954)
- Franklin
Adams
10 inch telescope (property of Union Observatory. First installed
at Union Observatory, moved to Hartebeespoort 1954)
- Flux
Collector
36 inch, 1957 (moved to La Cilla, Chile 1978)
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Pictorial
Sources:
Bibliography:
- Hilton
T., Presidential Address: Small Observatories and Unusual Telescopes
of Gauteng, MNASSA, Vol. 56, Nos. 9 & 10, October 1997.
- Smits,
P., A Brief History of Astronomy in Southern Africa. (Unpublished)
- Mitton,
J., A Concise Dictionary of Astronomy, 1991, OUP.
- Moore,
P. & Collins, P., Astronomy in Southern Africa, pp.107 - 110.
(General Source)
- Van
Herk, G., et. al., The Leiden Southern Station, MNASSA, Vol. 47,
Nos. 3 & 4, 1988.
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