Norman Lockyer Observatory

27/10/2026

We are so excited to announce that 2027 dates for Introduction to Astronomy Courses at the Norman Lockyer Observatory 🔭🛰️👩‍🚀🚀are now available to book! These popular courses make the perfect Christmas gift for loved ones wanting to learn about Astronomy whilst socialising and having thought provoking conversations about the Universe 🪐 with like minded people.
No prior knowledge or qualifications are necessary as this is an introductory level course 🧑‍🎓
The dates are:
Saturday 3rd April 2027 10am-5:30pm (Doors open 9:15am)
Saturday 4th September 2027 10am-5:30pm (Doors open 9:15am)

Full course details, prices and booking details are available on our website: Link below:
https://normanlockyer.com/education/introduction-to-astronomy-course/

13/08/2026

https://www.sidmouthherald.co.uk/news/26460390.hundreds-flock-norman-lockyer-observatory-solar-eclipse/?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZnRzaATq6a1wZG9mBWZkaWQWUMYuhqdlT9IZOMUQdgSiQOI0ZY1w-GV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR47hTTcnZ8FMGCpf_zcuzPUyvrUZx62n3VHnGudufoAF6M_JEOi936hvBfa8g_aem_-262UT0RZd-IoLYcVxueiw =1786628580
A fantastic review, thanks again for everyone who made this such a special event.

More than 500 pairs of solar glasses were snapped up as huge crowds turned out to watch a rare partial eclipse of the Sun.

13/08/2026

After all of the excitement of our fantastic solar eclipse event where over 700 people turned up (Thank you to you all and to our wonderful volunteers) the skies were lit up overnight by the annual Perseid meteor shower. Here are the combined image of our four meteor detection cameras.

12/08/2026

We had an absolutely amazing turnout for our solar eclipse event today. Unbelievable!

We apologise to anyone who was inconvenienced by the traffic and the wait time and to those who may have sadly missed out.

We have a limited volunteer base, we tried our best and being difficult to predict numbers as pre-booking for a weather related event is difficult to plan but also takes a lot of volunteers to manage.
There will always be things to learn for the future so see you 2090.

28/07/2026

Help to save this scientifically and historically important site!

SAVE JODRELL BANK – Protect a national treasure of science, heritage and inspiration

10/07/2026

Are you keen to learn about the fascinating world of Astronomy? If so, there are a few places left on our Introduction to Astronomy Course taking place on Saturday 5th September 2026 between 10am to 5pm. The full day course cost £40 per person (or £30 for members). Details of the course and how to book are available from our website below:
https://normanlockyer.com/education/introduction-to-astronomy-course/

07/07/2026

This year (2026) we are delighted to see the emergence of a new digital projection system at the James Lockyer Planetarium, part of the Norman Lockyer Observatory. It offers 360 degree digital video projection, 4k resolution, in a 7 metre diameter dome. We were impressed (which isn’t easy) so we hope you will be too!

A few volunteers (and one in particular) have worked very in building this new digital set up to work along side our 1965 Spitz planetarium.

Come along and journey beyond the Earth’s atmosphere and immerse yourself in the cosmos!

We are hosting Wednesday-afternoon planetarium shows over the school holidays with a range of 4k full-dome digital shows from the European Southern Observatory, NoirLab, and others.

Facebook events will be posted shortly this will help us gauge interest on how many will come 😊

https://normanlockyer.com/planetarium-shows-2026/

29/06/2026

Another fantastic Astrofair 2026 thank you to everyone for coming along and supporting, our raffle sponsors, trade stands and of course all our fabulous volunteers who’ve been working hard all year and the week running up to the fair to get it all running smoothly!

14/05/2026

14/05/2026

Check this out well done to our chairman on his discovery!