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Welcome
To The Spaceguard Centre
Our
Aim
The aim of The Spaceguard Centre is to develop and maintain a
world-class facility for astronomical research and science education
with a view to furthering the goals of Public Understanding of
Science with a specific emphasis on the Spaceguard project.
What
this means is that we want to bring the wonders of the universe
to everyone in a fun and understandable way. At the same time
we want to raise public awareness of the threat of asteroid and
comet impacts, and the ways in which we can predict and prevent
them.
What Is The Spaceguard Project?
The threat posed to mankind by the impact of an asteroid or comet
is now widely recognised as one of the most significant risks
to human civilisation, yet there is no co-ordinated international
effort to identify threatening Near Earth Objects (NEO’s)
or to deal with them once detected.
Over
the past decade or so it has become apparent that asteroidal and
cometary impacts have played a dramatic, possibly leading role
in the development of this planet, and the evolution of life.
Natural Science is in the throes of a revolution in thinking,
akin to that that occurred after the publication of Charles Darwin’s
“On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection”.
With this understanding comes the realisation that there is no
reason to believe that this extraterrestrial influence is at an
end, and the possibility that a major impact could severely disrupt,
or even destroy our current way of life on a global scale is one
to be considered seriously.
As
a result of this ongoing research there is a growing international
movement dedicated to quantifying and assessing the risk, and
to determining methods of avoiding threatening impacts. While
the subject has traditionally suffered from a great deal of scepticism
this attitude is now disappearing, and the matter has become one
of serious research.
To
find out more about the impact hazard and the steps that are and
could be taken to substantially reduce the risk, click here.
Come And Visit
Us
We welcome visitors to the Spaceguard Centre. Come and see our
equipment, hear about Spaceguard and learn something about the
wonders of astronomy. But beware, a visit to the Spaceguard Centre
has been known to change lives!
How
we are funded
The
Spaceguard Centre receives no external funding. The observatory
and the project are funded entirely by revenue from visitors and
from voluntary contributions from organisations and individuals.
Our Supporters
Click here to find
a list of the individuals and organisations who have helped the
Spaceguard Centre.
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