Book Your Spot
2 hr
250 euros
Ended
600 euros
The night sky is full of interesting and spectacular things to see: colorful double stars and dazzling star clusters, bright nebulae; even distant galaxies. Views of the Moon and bright planets are always popular.
At the Bourdieu Observatory, Richard will share his passion for the night sky behind a large 30cm telescope; he will introduce you to the constellations, inform you about the objects to see, and answer all your questions.
Contrary to popular belief, the full moon is not the right time to look at the sky because it is too bright and the moon lacks contrast. Therefore, we do not accept reservations two days before or after the full moon.
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Astrophotography à la carte
Our observatory is located where it is for practical reasons. The skies are not as dark or pristine as, for example, Pic du Midi, but then, who wants to live on top of a mountain where the only access is by cable car? We are located close to a charming village, with all the amenities it offers, but with remarkably low levels of light pollution. The Milky Way is readily visible if the Moon is out of the way – we often reach SQM levels of 21.7, or Bortle class 3, where the faintest stars can be seen.
For those who are visiting our area we offer an evening under the starry sky, but in this section, we are offering more, for others who may wish to be more creative. We imagine two potential scenarios: on the one hand is the keen astrophotographer who has come to this area for a holiday and left all his/her equipment at home; perhaps it’s too big and heavy to move. On the other hand, there is somebody who is perhaps interested in general photography and wants to take advantage of the superb skies here to experiment with astrophotography.
We are happy, and enthusiastic, to welcome both types of enthusiast and indeed anybody in-between. The expert will only need some basic guidance on the specifics of our setup, while for the debutante we will provide detailed teaching of the concepts and practice of astrophotography and technical assistance in the planning, acquisition and processing of images. Even one night of imaging can result in photos which can be astounding. But please be aware that the short nights around the summer solstice don’t allow much time to acquire data, and due to “summer time” that time will be in the early hours of the morning.
We have a well-equipped, small observatory dedicated to astrophotography which is available for hire. It is located a few metres to the south of the main observatory on its own dedicated deck. The observatory is a roll-off shed, very easily moved manually to expose a fully equipped astrophotography setup.
ABOUT
Richard Francis, retired PhD Space Physicist from the University of Sheffield, UK resides in La Romieu where in 2013 he designed and
built his own Le Bourdieu Observatory. He completed the first stage of construction in 2015 when it was made ready for “first light”.
Richard has worked for British Aerospace in Bristol, UK and for 30 years at the European Space Agency (ESA) in Noordwijk, The
Netherlands. He has worked on a variety of missions, progressing from an Altimeter System Engineer through a Mission and System
Engineer and finally the Project Manager for his final two missions at ESA. After retirement in 2015, he continues to participate in the
development of ESA’s missions.
A true Astronomy Aficionado, Richard began as an amateur astronomer and photographer in his teens with a 6-inch reflector
telescope Over the years he has changed telescopes, cameras and mounts, moving to a Meade 8-inch LX90 telescope in 2001 and a
12-inch LX200GPS in 2002 and continually evolving his equipment.
Currently he uses an Officina Stellare Ultra Corrected RC360 telescope with a Paramount MEII mount and a Moravian C5A-100M (43.9 mm x 32.9 mm) camera with an attached filter wheel containing seven 50 mm x 50mm square filters for his astrophotography.
After challenges in the Netherlands with weather and light pollution, Richard and his wife Huguette found the perfect location at Le
Bourdieu in 2013, a wonderful farmhouse in La Romieu, with its high ground, perfect horizon and low light pollution.
The observatory is a perpetual project with Richard constantly making improvements. His latest endeavour is a replica observatory in
his office, used as a test bed for electronic and software enhancements, ensuring the main observatory’s equipement remains safe.
