Britain's oldest astronomical institution, The Royal Observatory, launches a worldwide appeal, coinciding with a lunar eclipse, for restoration of the splendidly dotty 19th-century building ...
(And at a price that would make its royal founder flinch.)
In 1675 Charles II built the Royal Observatory "within Our Park at Greenwich", with every possible expense spared.
Lol, when the first astronomer royal, (Flamsteed), moved in, one tiny problem became apparent: the observatory roof did not open..Doh!
But hopfully the next phase of it`s history will be a bit better (er, and cost just a little more); and open parts of the site to the public for the first time, and add a state-of-the-art planetarium...
BTW: The lunar eclipse begins at 18:48 GMT and becomes `total` at 19:52 GMT ...Look to the East, as the sun sets!
