University of St Andrews Observatory

13/03/2026

Last shout for the Open Night on Saturday. The weather looks to be, well, dry, that's a plus. Also quite cold, windy, and maybe a few patches of clear sky. But it won't be great for observing the night sky. I am hoping we get some views of Jupiter. All welcome, entry free. We will be there 6-9pm, in three buildings - if you see crowds in one place, just wander over to the next one.

07/03/2026

One week to go to the Open Night: This will be the night sky next Saturday - assuming the sky is clear, which is currently maybe about 50/50. It will be a night without moon, but with a bright Jupiter which is undoubtedly going to be the star of the night. Venus in twilight, plus an assorted collection of star cluster and galaxies all over the sky. If it is clear, we will try to show everything. If not, come and talk to the astronomer, see exhibits and telescopes, and watch how the James Gregory Telescope operates. https://observatory.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/

16/02/2026

Save the date: The St Andrews Observatory will open its doors and domes for its annual Open Night on March 14th, 6-9pm. All welcome, entry free. All telescopes will be in action, and we will try to observe, if the weather is clear. Apart from that, we will have astronomers around to talk about, well, astronomy. The Twin Dome will host a new exhibit showing the history and future of this building. Spread the word!

08/03/2025

One week to go to the annual Open Night at the University Observatory! Saturday, March 15th, 6-9pm, entry free, all welcome. We don't trust the weather forecast yet, but if it's clear-ish, expect at least some telescopes pointing at the Moon, the planets, star clusters, galaxies. All telescopes will be around for demonstrations anyway. The new art exhibit in the Twin Dome, a variation of 'Beyond the Horizon', is developing nicely and will be spectacular. The website has now a flyer, and is the place to find more information. Come and meet the St Andrews astronomers!

https://observatory.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/

19/02/2025

Mark your calendars: On Saturday, March 15th, 6-9pm, the observatory will open its doors, and hopefully domes, for the traditional Open Night. All welcome entry free.

What you can expect: We will operate all telescopes, in particular the historic James Gregory Telescope. See Scotland's largest telescope in action! Weather permitting, we will try to observe planets, star clusters, galaxies. Some of our local astronomers will be around to talk about the nightsky, and to answer questions. And a new art-astronomy exhibit will be on display in our Twin Dome.

Please keep an eye on the website for more details!
https://observatory.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/

14/06/2024

Starting today, 4pm: The new exhibit in the Twin Dome, entitled 'colour-field', will open on Friday (14th) afternoon.

05/03/2024

It's four days until the Open Night. Right now it looks likely that it will stay dry on Saturday night, which is half success. But it also seems unlikely that the sky is clear. Which means, we will still show the telescopes, but we can't observe. Which gives us more time to explore the intricacies and histories of our telescopes. Join us on Saturday, 6-9pm.

If you are still undecided, I can announce that local artist Tim Fitzpatrick will again open his exhibit in the old Twin Dome. This will be a version of his 'in colour' event from last summer, but this time replacing the sunlight with artificial lights. That's all I know about it, you will have to come to the event to find out more. Tim will be in the Twin Dome on Saturday, 6-9pm, for the entire Open Night, to show his exhibit.

Tim has been writing a diary of the development of the Twin Dome, from an old unused derelict building to a place where concepts from art and science meet, and I can only recommend to read about some of the journey.

December 2022 – Letting the light in Exterior and interior views of the newly installed Twin Dome window Two days before Christmas 2022 School of Physics and Astronomy technician Chris Watson managed to astound me and Observatory Director Aleks Scholz by… Date 4 March 2024 CategoryUncategorized

27/02/2024

The next Open Night is Saturday plus a week, on March 9th. One theme of the evening will be the introduction of a new telescope, named START - this is a remotely controlled telescope. While it is placed on the roof of one building (and can be seen in action), we will operate it from the other building. It's not completely finished yet, but good enough to show it for the first time. We just need a clear night. For updates, keep an eye on the observatory website.

10/02/2024

Today in four weeks, on March 9th, 6-9pm, the observatory is going to open the doors again, for the annual Open Night at the Observatory. So far we only have a flyer. But all telescopes will be open, including our newest addition which has never been operated in public before. The astronomers from the School of Physics & Astronomy will be on hand to talk about all things space. Plus, Tim Fitzpatrick with his 'in colour' exhibition in the Twin Dome, now in the dark. More updates to follow.

03/08/2023

23/06/2023

Tomorrow, Saturday, 8-11am, is the last* chance to see 'in colour' at the Twin Dome, part of the University Observatory. Experience the midsummer Sun in an old dome filled with colour and light.

*Well, for now. I'm sure there will be other chances.)