ASTRONOMERS could be stargazing through Bolton's first observatory as soon as this summer.

Sharples School has launched an exciting bid to site the observatory on the roof of the roof of the school's STEM — science, technology, engineering and maths — centre.

The Sharples Observatory Project steering group went to look at 2.7 metres domed observatory in Leyland and met Len Adams, an amateur astronomer who has it in his back garden.

Science teachers Caroline Molyneux, assistant head and Mukesh Singadia, deputy headteacher, were accompanied by young people and and Roy Gibbins, project manager from the Rotary Club of Bolton le Moors.

Miss Molyneux said: "Len was an absolutely fantastic source of help for our project and we are looking to have a dome of the same size on the Sharples School science roof for both the community and our own pupils.

"Len uses his telescopic equipment all around the world to photograph planets, galaxies and stars."

The £18,000 state-of-the-art observatory with a 2.7-metre dome for the school follows the launch of the school's first GCSE astronomy after school course.

So successful has the course been, led by Mr Singadia, a long standing member of the school, the school want to name the new development the Singadia Observatory.

Bolton Rotary Club has come on board and is sharing its expertise and helping to manage the project.

The school has previously hosted an event with Dr Chris Smith co-presenter on the popular BBC TV’s Sky at Night programme who was invited to give a talk by the Bolton Astronomical Society.

A huge fundraising campaign is now underway.

Anyone who wishes to be part of the observatory project should contact us m.singadia@sharplesschool.co.uk or c.molyneux@sharplesschool.co.uk.

* To mark the forthcoming solar eclipse GCSE astronomy students will be in school from 8am, to set up solar scopes to view the eclipse safely and answer any questions.

If the weather is cloudy, the school will putting on the other activities including recreating the experiments of Greek philosopher Eratosthenes, who, in 276 BC, worked out that the earth was spherical and not flat using the sun.

Sharples will link up with a school in Europe on the same longitude line as us to recreate Eratosthenes' calculations.