Coddenham Astronomical Observatory
Satellite imagery: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics
Coddenham Astronomical Observatory, in the Suffolk village of Coddenham, England, made its name as a dedicated supernova-hunting station after opening in 2001.
About Coddenham Astronomical Observatory
The observatory was established in 2001 and formally opened by the broadcaster Patrick Moore, a fitting start for a site that went on to become known for its work discovering supernovae. It was managed by Tom Boles, who has since retired from active observing, but the observatory's discoveries remain part of its legacy.
Telescopes & research
The observatory ran a pair of 14-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes on heavy-duty robotic mounts, an automated setup well suited to the repetitive, wide-sky scanning that supernova searches require, allowing the site to sweep large areas of sky night after night without constant manual operation.
Location & getting there
Coddenham is a village in Suffolk, in the east of England, set in the quiet countryside typical of the region.
See your named star from here
A star named through Star Register comes with exact right ascension and declination coordinates. Robotic telescopes like the ones used at Coddenham are well equipped to be pointed precisely at coordinates like these to find a named star. Search the star catalogue to look one up.
Opening hours and public-visit programs vary by season. Check Google Maps for current times before you travel.
