On 26th of April, 2017, expert advisors and stakeholders, including John Brown OBE, Patron of the Cetus Project and Astronomer Royal for Scotland, and Donny Mackay, President of Stornoway Astronomical Society, gathered in the GHCT’s project hub, Gallan Beag, for an all day workshop to discuss detailed proposals for the Cetus Observatory.
Albert Shaw, Acting Chair of GHCT, said: “Gallan Head Community Trust is fortified and encouraged following our workshop. It was fantastic to get reassurance, feedback and enthusiasm for our ideas from the wide range of experts who gave their time to support our project.
John Brown, Astronomer Royal for Scotland, said: “Gallan Head has some of the darkest skies in Europe. The potential here is immense. With the expert advisors’ help, GHCT are in the process of making something very special a reality.”
During a packed two day visit, the Astronomer Royal also visited the local primary school – Sgoil Uig, which has been studying space this term – and gave an evening talk at Gallan Beag to over thirty people – both the schoolchildren and the evening guests were treated to one of John’s famous science-oriented magic shows!
John hopes to return to the island in the near future to deliver a 6 inch refractor telescope which has been kindly donated to the Cetus project by the family of the late Dr Gordon Day of Dumbarton.
The Cetus Observatory will be an innovative multi-purpose eco / astro observatory, with a strong environmental ethos, and will delight and enthuse its visitors no matter what the Lewis weather provides! The Gallan Head Community Trust aim to open the Cetus Observatory to the public in 2020.
