Hove (Brussels morning Newspaper) – Urania Observatory in Hove is building a new €400,000 tower with daytime and night telescopes. Director Marc Van den Brock says it will host larger groups, supported by the government and the community.
As VRT News reported, the Urania public observatory in Hove, in the province of Antwerp, Belgium, has begun work on a new observation tower. The foundation stone was laid this week. The tower will have a telescope that visitors can use during the day and at night.
Officials mentioned that during daylight, people will be able to safely observe the sun. In the evening, the telescope will show the moon, planets, and stars.
“Our current observation tower dates from 1970, but it’s not easily accessible due to a difficult staircase,”
explains Van den Brock.
“The new observatory will be more easily accessible thanks to improved stairs and an elevator. This will also allow people with limited mobility to take a look through the telescope.”
What is Urania Observatory in Hove planning with its new €400K tower?
The current observation tower will remain open to the public. This will help manage visitor numbers during busy times. Van den Brock from Urania said the new tower will allow more people to enjoy astronomy at the same time. Urania hopes to have the tower fully ready by June next year.
“On Sunday, July 5th, Sun Viewing Day, we hope to open the observatory to the public,”
says Van den Brock.
“We notice more interest in astronomy and the universe, which is reflected in our number of members.”
Marc Van den Brock, director of Urania
Officials mentioned that the expansion will allow the site to host larger groups of visitors at the same time. Van den Brock said the new tower is very welcome. Urania receives about 12,000 visitors every year, mostly children, and it can get crowded at busy times.
“We’re also seeing increased interest in astronomy and the universe. We can see that in our membership numbers,”
explains Van den Brock.
“For the second year in a row, we have over 1,000 members, many of whom are also taking courses.”
The project will cost €400,000 in total. Half of the money comes from subsidies from the Flemish government and the municipality of Hove. Urania will pay the other half itself. Van den Brock said a fundraising campaign is also underway to support the project.
Urania is a Public Observatory located in Hove that has been supporting Public Astronomy Education since its founding in 1970, following a Public Course that was presented by a Congregational Minister who was enthusiastic about Astronomy (Father T. Thomas) in 1969.
The first telescope tower at Urania was constructed in February 1970. Urania became formally recognised as a Public Observatory on 17 April 1970. Since then, Urania has flourished, reaching over 1,000 Members and about 12,000 Visitors (mostly School-Aged Children) each year. Currently, Urania features a Planetarium and a Telescope Viewing Tower for Night Viewing.
