6 years and over.

No specialist equipment is needed for this event, although if you have a telescope or binoculars you are welcome to bring them.

The summer is a great time to spot the constellations. Lighter summer skies give us the chance to enjoy the brighter summer stars that shape these ancient stellar patterns, and our GoTo telescope can even seek out stars and beautiful multiple star systems during twilight. (Have you ever seen a Twilight Double Star?) From classic twin stars to more complex systems of three or more suns dancing around each other, double and multiple stars are some of the most colourful and surprising sights in the sky.

Once night falls, we’ll guide you through a summer tour of celestial wonders. Using our telescopes, we’ll explore brilliant open star clusters—young, glittering groups like jewels scattered across the Milky Way—as well as stunning globular clusters: immense, spherical gatherings of hundreds of thousands of ancient stars tightly bound by gravity, glowing like cosmic snowglobes in the darkness.

Between May and July, you might also catch a glimpse of rare, shimmering Noctilucent Clouds (NLCs). These ethereal silver-blue clouds form at the very edge of space, seeded on the remains of meteors, and sometimes appear about an hour after sunset. So beautiful and unusual, they’re often mistaken for the Northern Lights.

If the skies are clear, we’ll take a tour of the night sky using our 14-inch large-aperture telescope, our Dobsonian telescopes, and binoculars provided for each guest.
Clear or cloudy, you can also connect to our free WiFi to download stargazing apps—we’ll give you expert tips on how to use them.

Finally, why not start or end your evening with a drink on the observing decks while soaking in the warm night and starlit views? Enjoy a gin and tonic, craft beer, real ale or a glass of wine from our award-winning and locally stocked bar (drinks not included in ticket price). The observatory is part of the multi-award-winning Battlesteads Hotel site and just a one-minute stroll down the path. Please drink responsibly.  

Observatory events are subject to adaptation to accommodate rare and breathtaking northern lights displays and these spectacular phenomena could unfold unexpectedly during this event.  So if the heavens come alive with the dancing Aurora Borealis, we will seamlessly weave them into our night's observing, ensuring an unforgettable experience for you.

All our events also include the chance to handle and investigate our extensive meteorite collection, which includes pieces of asteroids, the Moon and planet Mars.

Observing the skies is weather dependent, but you'll be pleased to know that all events go ahead whatever the weather and we deliver exciting and interesting events every time.