Photo supplied by Rob Plumley, Naturally L&A
Stargazers visiting the Lennox and Addington Dark Sky Viewing Area will soon have access to a massive new telescope thanks to a donation from the estate of a well-known Canadian astronomer.
Lennox and Addington County and the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Kingston Centre have announced the deployment of the Attilla Danko 25-inch Obsession Dobsonian telescope at the Dark Sky Viewing Area on County Road 41 in Erinsville.
The telescope will make its public debut during Laser-Guided Stargazing Tour events on July 10 and 11, weather permitting.
L&A County Senior Economic Development Officer Rob Plumley told us how they became the home for this new telescope.
The telescope was donated by the estate of Attilla Danko, a Canadian astronomer best known for creating the Clear Sky Charts forecasting tool.
Plumley said the telescope is one of the largest the site has hosted.
A new storage building known as the Attilla Danko Deep Space Port is being constructed to house the telescope during the stargazing season.
The Dark Sky Viewing Area opened in 2013 and is Ontario’s most southerly dark-sky site, making it one of Southern Ontario’s premier destinations for astronomy enthusiasts.
Written by Emily Chatwood
