Crago Observatory

The observatory will be closed 1st of September for some much needed maintenance and repairs. We will open next on the 29th September.

The observatory will be open from around 5.30 tonight with observing starting from about 6.30. It could be a cold one, so please dress warmly.
As we're expecting a large crowd, it might take some time before we can get you into the the observatory. Please bear with us and bring whatever you need to be comfortable while you wait.
I'm not able to make it myself tonight, so I hope you all have a great night and clear skies.

I've had a couple of questions about whether we're doing anything for the Mars Opposition this Friday. The short answer is no.
The longer answer is that despite the media attention, Mars will not look any different on Friday compared to our public observing session the following week on Saturday 4th August.
On the 4th, the Moon will rise much later allowing us to show many other night-sky objects in addition to the planets. Please come and join us on the 4th if you would like to see Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, other galaxies, nebulae, clusters and more.

What a contrast to last Month! The observatory will be open from 5.30pm, with observing from 6.30.
Hope to see you all there.

We're going cancel tonight's session due to the weather conditions.
Hope to see you next month.

Hi All. I'll be travelling during the Crago observing this weekend, so this page probably won't be updated. The observatory will be open (weather permitting).

Hi all. Reminder that the observatory will be open tonight. Forecast is looking good for once!

Cloudy in the mountains right now, but forecast is good! We'll be open from 6.30 with fingers crossed. See you there

We've got cloud starting to come over now. We'll wait a bit longer, but not looking promising.

Hi all. Looks promising tonight. We will be open with viewing starting around 9pm.

There is still s lot of cloud over the mountains, so we are going to cancel tonight's viewing. If the weather does improve, I'll let you know.

All the observing session for 2018 are now listed. Hope you all had a great new year and look forward to seeing you on the mountain.

All members of the public are welcome to come and observe the night sky through the Crago Observatory telescope. Regular sky tours are conducted throughout the night by our knowledgeable volunteers.
This event may be canceled due to rain or overcast conditions. Please check this page after 4pm on the day to confirm the observing session will go ahead.
Entry is free, though a gold coin donation is always appreciated.... For groups of more than 10 people, please contact us in advance.
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Hi everyone. I'm going to trust the forecast, which is predicting clear skies for tonight. We should be up at the observatory from around 6:30pm.
Due to the late sunset this month (8pm), observing won't start until around 9.
If there is any change in the weather, I'll let you all know. Hope to see you soon!

Hi all. The clouds have got a lot worse since my last update and it looks like rain is on the way. We've made the decision to cancel.

It is still quite cloudy. We'll be here in case it clears up.

Hi everyone. I'll be up at the observatory from about 5pm today. If the clouds clear, we'll start the observing session from about 8.30. I'll send an update on the sky condition around 6pm. Fingers crossed! 😀

Cloud, cloud and more cloud, with even more on the way. We are going to cancel tonight's session.
People often ask us what astronomy software we recommend. There is lots of good free and paid software out there, but I personally use Stellarium. It's free software and great for beginners through to seasoned observers. You can maybe check out how the Earth would look from Mars? http://www.stellarium.org/