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In 1996, the Isle Of Man Astronomical Society purchased 4½ acres of land with a view to building an observatory. The site is an excellent one for astronomical observation, with good, dark skies, and an elevation of 195 metres above sea level.Construction of the observatory began in April 1999. Pictured alongside is the site at an early stage of development, showing the telescope plinth visible within the foundations of the observatory walls.

The observatory dome was built in England,

as pictured here, and then shipped over

to the Isle Of Man.

Final assembly of the dome took place

on the Observatory site prior to it

being lifted into position.

Here you can see the Observatory shell

appearance before the placement

 of the dome itself.

On 17th April 1999, with the help of a
50 foot crane, the dome made its
final descent into place.

And there you have it… After much planning,

not to mention physical hard work,

the dome took up its now familiar

place on top of the observatory.

Top Row: Dave Storey, Mike Kelly, Tom Kaneen, Elaine Cain, Sue Ackroyd
Bottom Row: Colin Hill, Fred Grose, Gary Kewin, Angela Bridson, James Martin.

In the photo above, Elaine Cain, the first female bank manager in Peel,
is presenting some chairs to Mike Kelly of the Society.

The building is now fitted out internally, with help from many.

The name for the observatory was chosen in November 2000 following a ballot of all the Society's members, and is as the title of this page“The Isle of Man Observatory”.

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The next two photos are aerial shots of the Observatory.

These are reproduced here with kind permission
of the copyright holders,Island Photographics.

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If you click onThe Observatory from 5,500 feet link,

You will be taken to thegetmapping® uk website

where you may purchase the displayed photo.