Grassholme Observatory

08/09/2026

Our Wednesday event this week is nearly sold out - but we have a great forecast for Friday night too!

Come explore these beautiful skies with us

Book our Friday night Milky Way event at

www.grassholmeobservatory.com/whats-on/experience-our-milky-way/

07/09/2026

With no moon in our evening skies this week we have the darkest skies to show our guests.

This is a great time of year to see the Milky Way above the Observatory so on Friday and Saturday this week we have our event dedicated to learning about our home galaxy.

But no matter which event you come to this week we have dark skies, Saturn, the wonders of our Milky Way galaxy but also the sights of the distant universe to astonish and amaze.

Come join us for some great events

www.grassholmeobservatory.com

05/09/2026

A night at Grassholme Observatory is very straightforward

🚘 Arrive
🙋‍♂️Get a friendly welcome
👂Listen to a talk about the universe
✨ Go outside and see amazing dark skies
🔭 Use a range of telescopes to explore
☕️ Have a hot chocolate to warm up
🪐 See more amazing sights
🤯 Head home with mind blown

Want to join us for a fantastic evening?

Head to www.grassholmeobservatory.com and book your seat now!

03/09/2026

Wherever you live, or visit, in the North of England - we’ve got your stargazing covered.

Whether it’s here at Grassholme Observatory with the dark skies and stunning scenery of the Tees Valley and Durham Dales, or at Grizedale Observatory and Planetarium with events both day and night in the heart of the Lake District. We’ve got great events just for you.

01/09/2026

Birds don’t only visit us at the reservoir by the observatory, sometimes they’re in the sky above us too.

This is the owl cluster, in the constellation of Cassiopeia. Around 8000 light years away this is a young collection of stars (only around 20 million years old) sitting against the background of the Milky Way - which is why there are so many other stars in the background.

Don’t think it looks like an owl - maybe you agree it should be the ET cluster instead??

Just one of the fabulous sights at this time of year and we’ve got great events all week and the skies are getting darker and darker now.

Come join us and explore the dark skies of Grassholme for yourself

www.grassholmeobservatory.com

29/08/2026

GRASSHOLME IS GREAT

Not our words (though we agree 100%) but the title of one of our recent reviews on TripAdvisor.

Our team bring with them a huge amount of enthusiasm for stargazing and it’s infectious, with our guests all leaving having learned something new, seen something amazing, and wanting to look up more often - wherever they happen to be at night.

So why not join us for a visit soon now the dark skies have returned.

Book now at www.grassholmeobservatory.com

27/08/2026

More often than not we experience a little thing we call Grassholme Magic; and we got it last night.

When the forecast is a little bit mixed we often experience better skies than predicted. Last night was meant to be clouds and mist but in the end we had crystal clear skies all night.

We got views of stars, clusters of newly born stars (like the double cluster in this picture), globular clusters of ancient stars on the edge of our galaxy, and even galaxies beyond our own.

Amazing!

But even if the clouds get in the way of using our telescopes, we have a great night for our guests AND our clear skies pass means you get to come back and observe on a clear night in the future.

So you can book with confidence knowing you always see stars at Grassholme Observatory whether on your first visit or your return.

www.grassholmeobservatory.com

25/08/2026

We are coming to the end of August but we still have a Bank Holiday weekend ahead of us.

If you’re looking for a great way to spend your bank holiday weekend then come join us under the dark skies of Teesdale and explore the universe with our friendly team and our huge range of telescopes.

Whether stargazing for the first time or the 1000th, a night at Grassholme Observatory is for everyone.

Come and learn why you should look up more and see the sights that are hidden to us by light pollution.

Located in County Durham, Grassholme Observatory is a great day out for the whole family, allowing you to view and learn about space. Book your tickets here

23/08/2026

We’ve got a whole load of events to keep you looking up for the rest of 2026

As August moves into September we celebrate the incredible sight of the Milky Way overhead with our Experience the Milky Way events.

And Saturn is back in our evening skies - with this fantastic recent photo from our sister site at Grizedale Observatory. The rings are looking incredible and our Saturn:Lord of the Rings events will help you get to know this favourite of planets a little better.

Not enough for you? Well we have our regular Astronomy and Stargazing events and Dark Sky Astronomy events all year along with our popular family astronomy events for the younger children.

And we’ve even got Christmas under the stars events to round off the year.

Wow!

Whatever event you pick we’ve got an incredible night for you. And remember if the weather’s cloudy our sky view guarantee will get you back for observing under clear skies another time - so you can book with confidence that you’ll always see something at Grassholme Observatory

Located in County Durham, Grassholme Observatory is a great day out for the whole family, allowing you to view and learn about space. Book your tickets here

21/08/2026

What are our Astronomy and Stargazing events?

These are a wonderful chance to introduce yourself both to our dark skies, and to the magic of stargazing.

Starting with a talk that introduces you to the wonders of astronomy, our aim is to get our guests outside and observing for as much time as possible.

We have telescopes for you to use, with guidance from our team - and the best objects you see are always the ones you find yourself! We have telescopes where we can guide you to some of the highlights of the night sky, and we have our fabulous 14” robotic telescope where we can show you some of the more distant objects.

A wonderful chance to explore the night sky with our friendly and knowledgeable team, book your astronomy and stargazing now at

Located in County Durham, Grassholme Observatory is a great day out for the whole family, allowing you to view and learn about space. Book your tickets here