Space Exploration Society
Astronomy
Blundell’s Astronomy Network is a group of staff and students of all ages at the School who share an interest in Astronomy. Local observing sessions are run using the School’s own 10inch reflecting telescope in the School Grounds. The Physics Department also has a smaller, more portable reflecting telescope for pupils to use.
For ‘deep sky’ Astronomy we have access to the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGTN). At present this consists of the two 2m Faulkes Telescopes, one in Hawaii (FTN) and the other at Coonabarra in Australia (FTS). These are accessed via the Internet and can be used in the daytime in the UK.
Once the pupils have obtained their raw image data from one of the Faulkes Telescopes
they can use image-enhancement software to
combine those
obtained
using different
filters,
producing results such as the one above of the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51).
Blundell’s has been accredited as a Support Centre by the Faulkes Telescope Project and LCOGTN, acting as a point of contact and offering advice to other schools using the telescopes. Blundell’s students are also working on projects in collaboration with other schools and with scientists at Cardiff University and in Poland.
www.faulkes-telescope.com
faulkes-telescope.com/news/1387
www.eu-hou.net/spbdadm/
The school telescope. It has an 8" primary mirror and
uses Newtonian optics, on an equatorial mount.
All students and staff at Blundell’s are also welcomed at meetings of the Tiverton and Mid Devon Astronomy Society who hold their monthly meetings at Blundell’s Prep School. Their monthly lectures are always of interest to astronomers and also are often directly relevant to the Physics syllabus.
Model Rockets
A Model Rocket Club has been running at Blundell’s since the start of 2007. This is staffed by teachers from the Physics Department and runs as part of the afternoon Activities Programme.
