Observatory named after late astronomy society president set to open 

The Astronomical Society of Glasgow (ASG) is set to open a new observatory in memory of its late president.

The Eric Tomney Memorial Observatory will officially open at at Mugdock Country Park with an all-day public event on Saturday, September 30.

The event will include tours of the newly unveiled observatory, astronomical presentations and solar and night-time observations throughout the day.

The opening has been a decade in the making and is the legacy of the ASG’s former society president, Eric Tomney.

Astronomical Society of Glasgow

Mr Tomney died in 2013 but left a request for the observatory’s construction for the benefit of the society’s members.

Dr Andrew Conway FRAS, president of ASG, said the launch of the observatory was a “dream come true” for those involved.

“This is literally a childhood dream come true for many of us – building a new astronomical observatory,” he said.

“It’s not officially open yet but many passers-by in the park have stopped to ask us what we were doing as we worked on it, and we answered them with live images of sunspots, solar prominences and, on a few lucky occasions, solar flares.

“In the winter we can’t wait to show them the Moon, planets, stars, galaxies and much more through our telescopes.

“We live on a pale blue dot in a vast universe and this new observatory will let more people experience its wonder with their own eyes.”

The Astronomical Society of Glasgow is the largest Astronomical Society in Scotland and has been promoting Astronomy in Glasgow for over 100 years.

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