Gifford Observatory, Mount Victoria, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
The Gifford Observatory is an astronomical observation facility located in Mount Victoria, Wellington, New Zealand. Operated by the Gifford Observatory Trust with the intent of making it available for use to Wellington school children, it is primarily used by secondary school students, and members of the Wellington Astronomical Society.
The observatory was first established in 1912 by the efforts of Charles Gifford, a science teacher. The observatory was moved to the current site in 1926, on land that is now occupied in trust by Wellington College and Wellington East Girls’ College. The observatory fell into disrepair in the late 1970s due to a momentary lack of time and enthusiasm from staff and students at the school.
A trust was established in 1998 by a small group of interested teachers and amateur astronomers from the Wellington Astronomical Society, with the goal of restoring the observatory to a working state. On March 25, 2002, the observatory was successfully re-opened by William Pickering, who had been a frequent user of the observatory during his school days.
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