Kielder Observatory is a public astronomical observatory which is resting under some of the darkest skies in the world. Pre-booking is essential. Home to a range of large telescopes for public use, Kielder Observatory operates all year round hosting nightly events. Guests attending the observatory can expect to be guided through the wonders of our universe, both visually and audibly. Depending on the event you attend, and of course the weather, you will be taken on a tour of our facilities, get to gaze into the vastness of space (weather permitting) and be enthused and inspired by a unique enthusiastic team of science communicators. And of course during your visit, don't forget to try our world famous hot chocolate!
Fantastic place to take the kids and get them excited about astronomy and science. Even in full day light we were able to use the large telescope to look at the sun, making our sunspots and solar flares! 10/10 would definitely recommend!!
Booked tickets for the origin of the universe event which happened to be the day after the most spectacular northern lights display in 20 years. It was also cloudy. I did however have a good evening, largely to the enthusiasm of the experts. They need to install a car wash at the bottom of the forest drive though, and take it steady in the dark as the potholes and trees are not forgiving.
Amazing, amazing, amazing! Staff were so passionate about the subject. The facilities were fantastic and it's an incredible experience looking at the night sky in a natural dark location. A must for the bucket list.
This was a really great visit. The observatory is a charity run by science communicators and presents their work to groups of interested visitors. The evening consisted of an introductory talk and video and then the visitors divided up into groups to see different aspects of the observatory. The observatory was designed by architects, rather than scientists or astronomers, so its design is not the usual domed design. One of the presentations was about meteors and we were shown pieces of moon rock and Martian rock. Pretty impressive. One of the "features" of this visit, is the two-mile drive up a winding, unmade road to the car park. It was spine tingling. This was a great visit. It's highly recommended.
My husband is an avid astronomer and cosmologist with our 8yo daughter beginning to follow in his footsteps. We signed her up for their Light Year Academy as she wanted to try all of the different activities that the observatory offered. In my niaivity, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the location. I suppose I have been used to the 'whistles and bells' of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. Due to its location and of course funding, this observatory is small and run by an even smaller team. Does this even matter? Absolutely not and yet the fact that it's a much smaller operation meant our experience was much more personal and we had the opportunity to ask as many questions as we wished. In all honesty, I preferred this to anything large scale. The whole experience was fantastic. The staff are clearly passionate about their fields of specialism. No question was too daft and, when answered, the knowledge and enthusiasm shared by all was inspiring. All activities were perfectly targeted towards children and, despite the complexity of the subject, everything was explained with real life examples so that everyone understood everything. We loved the hands on approach and our daughter was thrilled to have been able to operate the telescope. The rocket making was a particular favourite, mostly due to the hilarity of some of the landings! Thank you to all the team for igniting another spark in our daughter's interest and for an excellent evening for all.
Absolutely outstanding experience. The site is beautiful and the staff are intelligent, interested, interesting and engaged. For a glimpse at the stars unlike anything else I would highly recommend this.
On-site services
Wheelchair-accessible car park
Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Getting tickets in advance recommended
Good for kids
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Fantastic place to take the kids and get them excited about astronomy and science. Even in full day light we were able to use the large telescope to look at the sun, making our sunspots and solar flares! 10/10 would definitely recommend!!
Booked tickets for the origin of the universe event which happened to be the day after the most spectacular northern lights display in 20 years. It was also cloudy. I did however have a good evening, largely to the enthusiasm of the experts. They need to install a car wash at the bottom of the forest drive though, and take it steady in the dark as the potholes and trees are not forgiving.
Amazing, amazing, amazing! Staff were so passionate about the subject. The facilities were fantastic and it's an incredible experience looking at the night sky in a natural dark location. A must for the bucket list.
This was a really great visit. The observatory is a charity run by science communicators and presents their work to groups of interested visitors. The evening consisted of an introductory talk and video and then the visitors divided up into groups to see different aspects of the observatory. The observatory was designed by architects, rather than scientists or astronomers, so its design is not the usual domed design. One of the presentations was about meteors and we were shown pieces of moon rock and Martian rock. Pretty impressive. One of the "features" of this visit, is the two-mile drive up a winding, unmade road to the car park. It was spine tingling. This was a great visit. It's highly recommended.
My husband is an avid astronomer and cosmologist with our 8yo daughter beginning to follow in his footsteps. We signed her up for their Light Year Academy as she wanted to try all of the different activities that the observatory offered. In my niaivity, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the location. I suppose I have been used to the 'whistles and bells' of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. Due to its location and of course funding, this observatory is small and run by an even smaller team. Does this even matter? Absolutely not and yet the fact that it's a much smaller operation meant our experience was much more personal and we had the opportunity to ask as many questions as we wished. In all honesty, I preferred this to anything large scale. The whole experience was fantastic. The staff are clearly passionate about their fields of specialism. No question was too daft and, when answered, the knowledge and enthusiasm shared by all was inspiring. All activities were perfectly targeted towards children and, despite the complexity of the subject, everything was explained with real life examples so that everyone understood everything. We loved the hands on approach and our daughter was thrilled to have been able to operate the telescope. The rocket making was a particular favourite, mostly due to the hilarity of some of the landings! Thank you to all the team for igniting another spark in our daughter's interest and for an excellent evening for all.
Absolutely outstanding experience. The site is beautiful and the staff are intelligent, interested, interesting and engaged. For a glimpse at the stars unlike anything else I would highly recommend this.
