Castle gives students scope to understand universe

HI-TECH telescopes atop an ancient castle will be used to hunt for new planets and quasars.

But the blazing sun was the focus of attention yesterday as Cork’s landmark Blackrock Castle was unveiled as the country’s first robotic observatory.

Astronomers took advantage of the glorious weather and used special telescopes to give dignitaries a view of the sun at the launch of the cutting-edge research and visitor centre.

But most of the research in future will involve searches for new planets close to stars, objects on possible collision courses with Earth, and quasars, the most powerful objects in the universe.

The facility was developed over two years as part of a €4 million joint project involving Cork City Council and Cork Institute of Technology (CIT).

CIT’s head of research Dr Niall Smith described the facility as truly unique.

“The whole ethos here is to get students and researchers to think — but to do it in the context of understanding the universe in which we live,” he said.

“We want to promote and foster an ethos of enquiry to help find solutions to difficult problems. The universe is a wonderful place with wonderful things in it but if you want to get them to work for you, you need to understand them.”

The castle houses three telescopes — two optical and one radio wave — which are linked via the internet to a global network of larger telescopes.

CIT researchers will also use a link with the University of Athens to use a powerful telescope based there.

“There are about 50 clear nights in Cork, compared to 250 clear nights in Greece,” Dr Smith said.

This gives Irish researchers a better chance of studying the universe for longer periods, he said.

The facility can connect to every school in the country via the internet. Schools will be able to request that specific heavenly objects be photographed for their own research.

Dr Smith said it is hoped the facility will foster an appreciation of astronomy and science in school students, and in the wider public.

The visitor and exhibition centre will open later this year. The castle will also be available for lectures, presentations and events.

Cork city manager Joe Gavin said he hoped the castle would become one of the city’s ‘must-see’ visitor attractions.

Lord Mayor Deirdre Clune said she was glad the castle had at last been put to good use.

“The hi-tech function in a historical landmark setting is a most appropriate use for this resource,” she said.

The restoration project was carried out by O’Shea Builders, Cork and supervised by Murray Ó Laoire architects.

nwww.physics.cit.ie/blackrock