Croydon Astronomical Society

21/06/2026

So sorry that we had to cancel the solar viewing event planned for today. But there will be other opportunities.

We intend to rearrange today's event in the very near future. Watch this feed here on Facebook as we look for a day when we have a good chance of clear skies.

But there will also be two additional events that you can put in your diary. On Wednedsday 12th August there will be a partial solar eclipse. If there is any chance of seeing this we will be present to observe the eclipse from the following sites:

The Kenley Airfield, near the RAF tribute
The School Common, Warlingham
and from Bingham Recreation ground in Addiscombe.

In each case we will be there from 6 - 7:30 pm

We will also be open for the Open House event on Sunday 13th September. We will be at the Observatory from 1 - 4pm whatever the weather. If skies are clear we will also do some solar observing.

(Edited to correct date)

21/06/2026

Hoping that everyone has noted that the solar viewing event for today (21st) has been cancelled. We will try again, maybe as early as next Sunday. No decison yet.

17/06/2026

CANCELLED

We will rearrange for another day

OBSERVATORY OPEN for a public solar viewing day.

Sunday 21st June is the Summer Solstice when the daylight hours are longest and the hours of darkness are the shortest. We intend to celebrate this event by opening our observatory to the public from 1pm until 4pm so that you can observe the sun safely, both in normal "white light" and with special narrow-band instruments that enable you to see activity on the sun's service.

These events are free and there is no need to book. See our page at https://www.croydonastro.org.uk/observatory which has details of where to find us. The important things to note are that there is no car access to the observatory (it is on private land) and no parking in Waterhouse lane which leads up to it. Please don't try to drive up Waterhouse lane as you will get stuck. Also note that we have no toilets on site.

The weather forecast looks encouraging for Sunday but if it clouds over we either won't open or will go home early. Keep an eye on this page in case our plans change.

Information about the location of our observatory in Kenley and events for the public and members

17/06/2026

SOLAR OBSERVING AFTERNOON !

Sunday 21st June, to celebrate the summer solstice, we will have the Observatory at Kenley open from 1pm to 4pm.

We will have special telescopes that can safely show you the Sun without risk.

It is the year after Solar Maximum, when the Sun was most active, but there is still a lot of activity and plenty to see.

More details on how to visit on our website https://www.croydonastro.org.uk/
But please note there is no parking at the Observatory and the stables beside us need access during the day, also there are no toilet facilities.

Croydon Astronomical Society. Astronomy. Astrophotography. We hold talks and events for the public during the week and at weekends. Membership open to all.

16/06/2026

This Friday, 19th of June 2026 at 7:30pm, we will have a mixed evening of short talks from our members:

First we welcome Roy Easto who will speak on "The Science and Astronomy of Svalbard" looking at the island's place in the history of science as well as continuing programmes to study the upper atmosphere.

After the tea break we welcome Konrad Malin-Smith talking on "Max Planck's Great Breakthrough".
​​
The third talk is from Peter Bartholomew and is "Total Solar Eclipses I have seen" and is a round up of previous Total Solar Eclipses Peter has seen and the prospects for this years eclipse on August 12th.

17/04/2026

TONIGHT:

Croydon Astro Public talk
FRIDAY 17th april

Small hall, Shirley Methodist Church, Eldon Avenue, CR0 8SD

7:30pm– 9:30pm, refreshments available

ALL WELCOME!

A different look at astronomy tonight as we welcome one of our members, Mahmoud Rajah, to speak on "Cosmos according to Islam - What was before, how the universe came into being and how science is proving it to be"

We will also have a short talk by Roy Easto who will look back at the recent Artemis Moon Mission.

We look forward to seeing you.

04/04/2026

Just a reminder, our public observatory open evenings are now finished for the summer period.
Its far too light now the clocks have changed to observe properly.
We open again early September, date to be determined.
We have some special events coming up over the sunmer, Persied meteor watch, Solar days and the Solar eclipse, so do keep an eye out for our posts!
Our public talks continue through the summer at Shirley methodist church. All welcome. https://www.croydonastro.org.uk/talks

Thank you to everyone who joined us on a Saturday night over the last 7 months!

And thank you to all of our volunteers whose time and dedication keep the observatory open for the public to enjoy. Enjoy a well earned summer break!

And thank you to our visitors, and those who made a donation, either via our collection boxes or vial our website.

01/04/2026

The Artimis 2 mission is getting ready for its launch. Here is the live YouTube stream if anyone would like to watch along.

-Stefan

This feed will provide continuous coverage of Artemis II mission activities with live commentary, beginning with tanking of the SLS (Space Launch System) roc...

30/03/2026

For those that saw amazing things at the observatory this winter, but didn't see the chance to donate, we do run entirely on donations to maintain the observatory and would gratefully receive contributions. All pages on our website have a donation button. Go to https://www.croydonastro.org.uk/

As the nights shorten at this time of year the observatory closes for the season. We will be opening for a few "Solar Days" over the summer and watch out for our Perseid Meteor watch in mid August. We will also be watching the partial solar eclipse on August 12th. Next autumn/winter we will be looking forward to viewing Mars and Saturn as well as Jupiter the following spring. We also have twice monthly talks at the Croydon Astronomical Society's meetings in Croydon (details on our website).

Croydon Astronomical Society. Astronomy. Astrophotography. We hold talks and events for the public during the week and at weekends. Membership open to all.

29/03/2026

If you came last night you may have seen the image of the Flame Nebula being collected. Here it is.