Welcome

Spectacular hands-on science and discovery among the domes and telescopes of a world famous astronomical observatory.

The Observatory Science Centre is open daily from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm (last admission 4.00 pm).

During the local school mid-term holiday :
Saturday 25th May - Sunday 2nd June
There will be regular telescope tours and exciting activities alongside our hands-on exhibits.

Plus: Extra optional drop-in activities on Monday 27th May in our Zany Zone room (small additional charge of £1 per child age 2+).

Explore Your Universe- Exploding into life at The Observatory Science Centre!
During the May mid term holiday we have planned a range of fantastic demonstrations and science busking activities which will add an extra dimension of Spectacular Science to your visit.  

The activities will have a different theme each day- with a few surprises along the way!
27^th and 29^th May ‘We Will Shock You'
28^th and 30^th May ‘Magnet Mayhem'
31^st May                 ‘Light up the Dark'  

Plus
Thursday 30^th May Meet-the-Expert sessions ‘Rocket Rocks'
Drop-in sessions throughout the day will focus on meteorites and the geology of Earth rocks since the Earth itself originally formed from meteorites, asteroids and comets. Why not bring in your own rock finds and see if they're 'meteorites' or 'meteorwrongs' or which kind of Earth rocks they are.

There will be regular daily science busking activities with a Thermal Imaging Camera and, if the sun decides to put in an appearance, you may well have chance to look through a Solar Scope!    

We are delighted to be one of ten centres participating in this exciting national project, so come and get hands on with everything from atoms to astrophysics during the May mid term holiday as we ‘Explore Your Universe'.

These activities use a range of intriguing equipment through a programme funded as part of a joint venture between the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres (ASDC) and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the research council who fund some of the most far-reaching and exceptional science in the UK and internationally.