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 Aurora Borealis (also known as Northern Lights) are magical and inspirational phenomena that grace the Northern night skies.  What are they and how can you go hunting for them successfully?

Aurorae are now very well understood by physicists around the world but for thousands of years and for many communities, they played a part in religions, fairytales and folklore.  Join us on a journey that begins with history and art of the Northern Lights through to our scientific understanding of the aurora today.

At Battlesteads Observatory we aim to give our guests the knowledge and understanding you will need to hunt the Aurora Borealis for yourselves.  You'll learn the basics of the science behind how they are created, how to find them, which apps to use and some hints and tips on how to photograph them.  Questions are welcomed and our team will be on hand to help you with anything we are able to.  Our team has led hundreds of aurora talks and trips over the years and includes photographers & physicists (in case you have any tricky technical questions.)

If the skies clear, we'll take a tour of the night sky with our 14 inch diameter large aperture telescope, our dobsonian telescopes and binoculars for each guest to use throughout the event.

As of yet, we're unable to control the weather, so observing the skies can only go ahead if it's clear but you'll be pleased to know that all events go ahead in any weather conditions.  The Northern Lights are a random natural occurrence, and our aurora hunting night is about preparing for the occasions when they are visible, aurora may or may not be visible on the night.

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.