The Dark Cosmos
Dark matter, dark energy, black holes, unlocking the mysteries of the universe's dark secrets, this event's topic of conversation will be looking at some of the questions which are still yet to develop answers. We'll be looking into the science that underpins these unknown phenomena, so be prepared to have your mind blown!
What are the missing ingredients we need to create our universe, why is it expanding, why do black holes exist and where do they lead?
With new breakthrough technology on the horizon, such as DESI (Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument), ELT (Extremely Large Telescope - Chile), LSST (Large Synoptic Survey Telescope), amongst other mind-boggling engineering, we creep ever closer to uncovering the answers. The last couple of years have uncovered some incredible feats such as, imaging a black hole at the centre of a galaxy and detecting gravitational waves.
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 and we will introduce you to some techniques in how to navigate the night sky.
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.
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.
