Text 1: A night beneath the dome, by Imogen Vale

An original contemporary local newspaper report.

More than 240 people queued outside Briar Hill Observatory on Saturday evening, waiting for their first chance to enter the newly restored dome. The line moved slowly, and several families abandoned it when the wind became bitter. Most of those who stayed seemed determined not to miss the view.

Thirteen-year-old Saira Malik had expected the visit to be dull. 'I thought we would hear a long talk and then go home,' she said. When the roof slid open and the telescope turned towards the sky, she stopped speaking for several seconds. 'I forgot to speak. It was enormous.'

Not everyone was comfortable in the darkness. A young boy held tightly to his father's coat until a volunteer showed him the small red lights along the floor. By the end of the visit he was asking whether they could come back the following weekend.

Some older visitors were proud to see the building in use again. 'I have lived here all my life and never once looked through that telescope,' said Margaret Ellis. As people left, many paused at the entrance to discuss what they had seen, while others immediately joined the queue for another viewing.

Text 2: The town's star-house receives its first visitors, by A Correspondent

An original newspaper report written in a nineteenth-century voice; a period simulation, not an archival document.

In this newspaper report from 1891, a journalist describes the first evening on which a town's new public observatory admitted visitors.

The new public observatory at Wrenford opened its doors yesterday evening, and by eight o'clock a considerable company had gathered outside. Some had come because they were genuinely eager to inspect the heavens; others admitted that curiosity alone had brought them along. The attendant had difficulty persuading the crowd to enter in an orderly fashion.

Inside, the great instrument stood beneath the revolving roof. A baker near the back muttered that it was an expensive cupboard and doubted that any useful sight could come from it. His opinion changed when he reached the eyepiece. He stepped aside without a word, and then returned to the end of the queue with a broad smile.

The younger visitors were at first restless and whispered through the explanation. When the first clear view was offered, however, the room became quiet. One little girl clapped her hands, and several adults laughed with surprise. Mrs Evans, who had been nervous that she might damage the apparatus, said afterwards that the attendant had made her feel welcome.

The last of the company were turned away when the lamps were extinguished at eleven, and there was no shortage of complaints from those who had waited in vain. Even so, many promised to return, and the keeper reported that the next evening's list was already filling.

Using information from both texts, explain briefly the visitors' reactions to the public observatories.

You should make it clear which text you are referring to.