After the increase in awareness amongst the public for all things astronomical, it's apparent that stargazing at home is on the rise.  However, it can be daunting... Telescope or binoculars?  What is a star?  What is a light year?  How do I spot constellations?  There's so much to consider, so where do you start? Fear not, our experienced team of astronomers are here to help get you started with the basics.  Suitable for all ages these events are designed to inspire with interactive learning experiences including introduction to the usage of telescopes, why we use them, how they work and a little of the history of discoveries thanks to these instruments. We'll introduce you to constellations, what they mean, how we use them and discover the best time of year to see celestial objects.  We’ll also investigate rocks from other worlds across our solar system, which help us understand how our planet formed 4.5 billion years ago. Using our state-of-the-art facilities, we will set you all on a journey of discovery as well as information guides to take away with you. Weather permitting, telescopes can be used to assist your experience. Finally, at the end of the event you will have time to peruse our gift shop, wander around the facilities, grab a selfie and ask any questions you have to our team of expert astronomers who are always happy to help....

Tickets

From £25.00 per person

Next available event

Wednesday 30th April

Is there life outside of earth?  A question which has perplexed humans for eons, we now creep ever closer to uncovering the answer to that very question. Each year, more and more planets surrounding other star systems are being discovered, with new technologies we can now begin analysing those planet's atmospheres in the hunt for signs of life. How do we know?  How many worlds are there?  Which of them could sustain life?  During this event we will uncover the methods and technology which make it possible for us to discover these new worlds, more formally known as Exoplanets, meaning Extra Solar planets. Throughout this introduction to planets beyond Earth, our team will guide you through the origins of discovering other worlds and up to date discoveries, changing as the weeks go by.  This is a hot topic of science research and one that our team love talking about. During the event you will take a tour of the observatory with stargazing as the priority when the weather permits.  During your tour you will discover light, its uses throughout the universe and how we capture it with our large aperture telescopes.  You will also get hands on with rocks from the origins of our solar system and worlds beyond our own. We will introduce you to some techniques we use help you navigate the night sky. During the evening you will be treated to a hot drink of either tea, coffee or our famous hot chocolate as well as having the opportunity of supporting our charity further by taking home a memento of your visit to the observatory from our gift shop   Although star-gazing is the priority on all our events, our aim is to deliver a fantastic experience whatever the weather with the help of our team of experienced and passionate astronomers.   Important information about events   Will it be cold? Even during the summer it can get cold in Kielder, winter can be especially cold, minus figures are not uncommon late at night. Please make sure to wrap up warm. Warm rooms are provided for your comfort, but if it is a clear night and we are observing you may be in outside temperatures for up to 2 hours.   Can we see things in summer? If weather permits, in the summer months we can still observe despite the lighter evenings, including the moon, brighter planets, binary star systems, beautiful star clusters and breathtaking noctilucent clouds.   How might things look through the telescope? The magnification we use on our telescopes typically ranges between 50 - 150 x. Sufficient for us to make out features of some of the largest planets in our Solar System, and picking our faint distant galaxies. Looking through a telescope is very different to images captured using astrophotography techniques and by institutions such as NASA, ESA and others. Images such as this can take hundreds of hours to produce using very sensitive techniques, using billions of pounds worth of instrumentation, in the best possible conditions. The difference is, looking thorough our telescopes with the naked eye is how astronomy was completed up until only the turn of the 20th Century. Your view through our telescopes is better than many of the trailblazers who first used instruments such as this to uncovered the mysteries of our universe. ...

Tickets

From £28.50 per person

Next available event

Wednesday 30th April

Each individual member of the Kielder science team shares the combined passion for astronomy, however their favourite parts differ, sometimes dramatically!  Tonight they will share with you their passion and guide you through their favourite things to do, see or discover. Let us guide you around the night sky, exploring seasonal differences and highlighting the jewels of the universe you can see around that time.  If the weather isn't on our side, we'll use our digital simulation software to give you a full tour of the night sky, where we can even travel through time to show what you may see in the coming weeks or months. When observing, depending on conditions and the lunar calendar we can show you planets, star clusters and even galaxies, the brightest of which can be seen with the naked eye from our observation deck.  We may even catch a glimpse of the International Space Station as it flies across the sky! During the evening you will be treated to a hot drink of either tea, coffee or our famous hot chocolate as well as having the opportunity to support our charity further by taking home a memento of your visit to the observatory from our gift shop In the summer months we lose the darkness so we turn our attention to the brighter objects that are visible, such as craters on the moon, star clusters and atmospheric phenomena like night shining clouds, known as noctilucent clouds… Although star-gazing is the priority on all our events, our aim is to deliver a fantastic experience whatever the weather with the help of our team of experienced and passionate astronomers....

Tickets

From £35.00 per person

Next available event

Friday 2nd May