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Click
on a link below to be instantly transported to any of
the SpacedOut sites around Britain ...
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Location:
Asbolus at The Spaceguard Centre, Knighton, Powys, Wales
Asbolus at The Spaceguard Centre, Knighton, Powys, Wales
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England
Above
Jay and Anne Tate from the Spaceguard Centre overlooking Knighton in Powys, mid-Wales wanted to locate the installation representing the centaur Asbolus at the centre of an existing stone circle dedicated to the goddess Diana.
It was decided that the artistic representation of Asbolus should not resemble the centaur in any way; a highly-reflective stainless steel sphere was chosen to provoke a variety of responses from visitors to the Centre.
Above
LEFT to RIGHT - Engineer and Space Out team member Lucy Rogers checks the concrete mix before anchoring Asbolus firmly into the ground at the Spaceguard Centre in Knighton, Powys.
Asbolus is unveiled in howling winds and sub-zero temperatures.
The Spaceguard Centre in Knighton, Powys, mid-Wales. Follow the links below to find out more about opening times and what awaits you!
- Asbolus' nickname is 'Sooty' because of its unusual dark appearance.
- This centaur was discovered by James V Scotti and Robert Jedicke at Kitt Peak Observatory (Spacewatch) on 28 March 1995.
- The dark colour of its surface suggests the presence of carbon as well as organic material which has become darkened by the action of ultra-violet light from the Sun and solar wind.
- It may have a large crater on one side which exposes fresh, lighter material with traces of water ice which have been detected in its spectrum - the crater is less than 10 million years old.
The Spaceguard Centre
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.
The Centre wants to bring the wonders of the universe to everyone in a fun and understandable way. At the same time it wants to raise public awareness of the threat of asteroid and comet impacts, and the ways in which we can predict and prevent them.
The Spaceguard Centre welcomes visitors where they can see the 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!
Spaceguard UK
Spaceguard UK is the national focus in the UK for studies into the threat posed to the Earth by collisions with asteroids and comets, and has recently established the privately funded Spaceguard Centre at the former Powys Observatory.
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