LONDON, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The Royal Observatory Greenwich (ROG) has installed a cutting-edge telescope and been ready to study the sky again after it was shut down 60 years ago.
The new telescope will be named after Annie Maunder, one of the earliest female scientists who worked at the ROG and made key discoveries about the sun.
The 50,000-pound (about 66,140-U.S.-dollar) facility has the power to capture high magnification still and moving images of the sun, moon and the planets of the solar system, and is now set in Grade II listed Altazimuth Pavilion at the ROG.
After the hard work of installing the telescope, astronomers at the ROG are excited about the upcoming observation.
To seek help with the running of the telescope, the ROG is looking for teams of volunteers, many of whom are likely to come from local enthusiasts' clubs.
"We want to make use of every clear night we get," one of the astronomers told the Guardian.
King Charles II founded the Greenwich site in 1675. Its purpose was to map the stars and compile tables that could then be used for navigation at sea.
It was a working observatory until 1957, when the scientific research moved to the countryside to get away from urban smog and light pollution in London.
According to ROG astronomer Brendan Owens, with cleaner air and new technologies, it is now possible for telescopes to take decent pictures at the ROG. That is why the observatory will start to work again.
