Catch a glimpse of the yearly highlights from Airdrie Observatory.
What’s On
Winter Observatory Open Evenings
November 2023 – February 2024
The Observatory will be open to the public from 5.30pm – 7pm (last admission 6.45pm) on Tuesday evenings throughout the winter months.
Available dates are:
November:
7th, 14th, 21st, 28th
December:
5th, 12th
January:
9th, 23rd, 30th
February:
6th
No booking is required to visit unless bringing along a group.
April 2022 – March 2023
Discover below some of the highlights over the last year at Airdrie Observatory.
- Visitors – The Observatory welcomed an all-time high of 585 visitors this past year.
- Group & Class Visits – We have been delighted to welcome dozens of school class visits and group bookings over the past twelve months.
- Open Evenings – We saw a significant increase in the number of visitors attending our winter series of Opening Evenings this past year..
- The Wider Community – The Observatory was represented at a wide range of community events over the past twelve months, including Winterfest, the Lanarkshire Science Festival and Doors Open Day 2023.
- Looking to the Future – We are putting the experiences of a very busy year to good use by planning a revamp of our group booking systems, increases in volunteer support for our Curators and developing a VR model of the Observatory for 2024. Exciting times ahead.
It’s been another fantastic year for the Observatory and we all are looking for to what the year ahead will bring.
April 2019 – March 2020
Here is a glance at the various activities and visits that occurred at Airdrie Observatory during another fantastic year.
- Openings – During the period, the Observatory was opened to the public on 22 occasions with the telescope itself in operation on 15 of these.
- Visitors – 288 people visited the Observatory during these events.
- Family Groups – The Observatory saw a marked increase in the number of individual & small family groups during this period.
- Group Visits – There were large group visits from organisations such as Kilsyth Cubs & Scouts, 1st Clyde Beavers, East Kilbride Brownies & St. Monica;s Primary School.
- Notable Visitors – The Observatory was visited by a number of dignitaries over the course of the year including Martin Lunn MBE, the former Curator of Astronomy at Yorkshire Museum.
- New Curator – 2019/20 was the first viewing year in post for our new Curator William, and we are delighted to have his expertise on hand during another busy season.
With the challenges that 2020 has given everyone, we are looking into some exciting plans to continue to raise awareness and use of the Observatory in unique ways. Watch this space.
April 2018 – March 2019
Airdrie Observatory enjoyed a stellar year over the last year with record attendances from groups, special visits and the appointment of our first Observatory Assistant. Here is a snapshot of what has been happening in our historic Observatory.
- Visitors – The Observatory was opened to the public on 20 occasions during the year, and saw some 484 people visit the facility.
- Group visits – 350 of the visitors this year came from school group visits and community youth groups – this is our highest annual footfall ever for this demographic.
- Special visitors – Several key figures from the astronomy world visited the Observatory over the course of the year, including Martin Lunn MBE who is researching a book on Thomas Cooke, Telescope Maker of York (who made our historic telescope).
- Volunteers – Our ongoing training programme for Observatory Volunteers saw the appointment of our first ever Observatory Assistant, as well as full refresher training for all key voluntary personnel in fire awareness and EVAC chair provision.
- Special mention – Plains Primary provided one of our largest individual group visits ever with over 100 children attending the Observatory in a single day.
We look forward to the year ahead providing similar stellar highlights and hope the Observatory continues to be a fantastic unique facility for our community to enjoy.
April 2017 – March 2018
Airdrie Observatory enjoyed a fantastic year during 2017/2018 with high attendances, significant upgrades and one-off special events. Here is a snapshot of what happened in our historic Observatory.
- Visitors – Over the year we have enjoyed 752 visitors to the Observatory over 34 opening occasions.
- Group visits – Many organisations such as youth groups, Brownie packs, university students and more. The definite high point being a week-long full-school visit, such a fantastic sight seeing so many school children enjoying the facility.
- Remote viewing – With the facility having restricted access, a major development for the Observatory is the installation of a remote viewing system, accessible in the library below, bringing the magic of the stars to all sections of the community in the years ahead.
- Major upgrades – essential maintenance to the dome and the historic Observatory ladders was completed ensuring the daily use of these unique pieces of equipment can continue with new safety standards.
- Safety improvements – The fire escape route from the Observatory was upgraded and the AAA members received EVAC Chair training.
- Observatory archive – Efforts to create a dedicated Observatory archive continue with new material being regularly uncovered.
- Observatory wedding – September saw the Observatory host the first ever wedding within the facility itself. In what was a special one-off event, the Observatory was transformed into a beautiful area for two space-loving people to tie the knot in a day which will live with them forever.
