The Playfair Observatory, which can still be seen on Calton Hill, became the first Royal Observatory in Scotland during King George IV's visit in 1822, with Thomas Henderson appointed as the first Astronomer Royal for Scotland in 1834.
Over the next 50 years, the observatory saw major research advances under Charles Piazzi Smyth, the second Astronomer Royal for Scotland. However, by 1888, the observatory was falling into disrepair due to inadequate facilities and funding. A Royal Commission recommended its closure, but a generous donation from the Earl of Crawford led to the establishment of the ROE on Blackford Hill in 1894.
The new observatory, designed under Ralph Copeland, the new Astronomer Royal for Scotland, became a state-of-the-art research centre.
In the following decades, the ROE maintained a leading position in UK and global astronomy, contributing to the development of astrophysics and related technologies. Notable installations included the 36-inch reflector telescope in 1930 and the 14/24-inch Schmidt telescope in 1951.
Through the 50s and beyond ROE became a world leader in developing automation techniques for astronomical observations. The GALAXY machine, introduced in 1970, was a precursor to the SuperCOSMOS computer. The observatory's technological expertise led to its involvement in several major international projects, including the UK Schmidt Telescope in Australia and the UK Infrared Telescope and James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, both in Hawaii.
The University of Edinburgh's Department of Astronomy moved to new purpose built buildings on site in 1963. Renamed the Institute for Astronomy in the 1990s it is still the home to students, researchers and teaching staff.
The UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC) was established in 1998 by consolidating many of the UK's instrument-building capabilities. This move was spearheaded by the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) to create a unified organisation dedicated to developing advanced astronomical instruments (PPARC was later replaced by the Science and Technology Facilities Council in 2007).
Since its inception, the UK ATC has been instrumental in designing and building cutting-edge instruments for both ground-based and space-based observatories.
Some of the notable projects include VISTA (Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy), a telescope designed for wide-field surveys of the sky in infrared light; SPIRE (the Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver) for the Herschel Space Observatory; several instruments for the Gemini Observatory; and the James Webb Space Telescope, with the UK ATC leading on MIRI (the Mid-Infrared Instrument), crucial for observing distant galaxies and other astronomical phenomena.
The Crawford Lab was added in 2004 as a larger space was required for the assembly of more complex astronomy instruments. In 2018 the Higgs Centre for Innovation was opened as a business incubation centre for high tech start-ups.
The UK ATC continues to collaborate with leading organizations such as the European Southern Observatory (ESO), the European Space Agency (ESA), and NASA, ensuring that it remains at the forefront of technological advancements in astronomy.
Find out more about current and past UK ATC projects.
