Beersel Hills Observatory

Near the town of Beersel, just south of Brussels, Beersel Hills Observatory shows what a dedicated amateur setup can achieve. Founded in 1998, it has quietly contributed real data to the study of variable stars.

About Beersel Hills Observatory

Beersel Hills Observatory is a private amateur astronomical observatory owned by Paul Van Cauteren and Patricia Lampens. Its work focuses on variable stars and visual double stars, including Delta Scuti-type pulsators and eclipsing binaries.

History

The observatory was founded in April 1998 near Beersel, Belgium, and has since built a track record of published observations in collaboration with professional astronomers and journals.

Telescopes & research

Observations are made with a 0.4-metre Newtonian telescope fitted with SBIG CCD cameras, used to measure the brightness changes of variable and double stars over time. Data gathered here has fed into peer-reviewed studies of eclipsing binaries and pulsating stars, with support at times from the Royal Observatory of Belgium.

Location & getting there

The observatory is located near Beersel, a small town just south of Brussels in Belgium, part of the Europe region.

Visiting Beersel Hills Observatory

As a private amateur facility run from its owners' home, Beersel Hills Observatory is not a general public visitor attraction. Anyone interested in its variable star work should check for contact details via its published research or observing network affiliations before reaching out.

See your named star from here

A privately run observatory like this is proof that you don't need a professional institute to find a specific star among the many overhead. If you'd like a star of your own to look for, see the naming packages or browse the star catalogue.