[BAA-ebulletin 00670] The Hewitt Camera Plate Archive

[BAA electronic bulletins service]

The Hewitt Camera Plate Archive comprises approximately 11,000
photographic plates taken from various locations within the UK and in
Australia over a period of almost 30 years from approximately 1960 to
1990. Each plate covers a 10 degree field of view taken with a Schmidt
camera. The plates were originally used to measure the orbits of
satellites to infer information about the Earth's gravitational field.
However, in the process much information was obtained on variable
stars, typically to about magnitude 11 but occasionally to mag 13.

Following the transfer of the Royal Greenwich Observatory from
Herstmonceux, to Cambridge in the early 1990's the Crayford Manor
House Astronomical Society became the custodians of the Archive on
behalf of the BAA VSS.

Sadly, the local council have decreed that they can no longer house
the Archive and therefore they are looking for a new home for it. If
any individual or group is interested in taking the Archive they
should first contact the VSS Director roger.pickard at sky.com
This would make a great project for another local astronomical society
that does have the space and the enthusiasm.

Now for some of the small print!
The deadline for the removal of the Archive is the end of June 2012.
The Archive is currently housed on shelving measuring approximately
5.11m long x 2.39m high x 0.3m deep.
Some 6000 of the plates are of glass measuring approximately 20cm x
10cm x 6mm thick often with 3 or 4 plates per box and so are quite
weighty. The remainder are plastic plates but of a similar area.

Roger Pickard, Director BAA VSS
roger.pickard at sky.com
11/05/2012