Location description
Purpose-built teaching and public outreach facility run by the Jerimiah Horrocks Institute division of the University of Central Lancashire. Home to the Moses Holden Telescope, one of the largest telescopes in the UK, as well as the historic Wilfred Hall Telescope the site also has a planetarium all of which are used for undergraduate teaching and encouraging public engagement in science. Access to the facility is strictly by prior booking on one of their monthly open evenings.
Location event organiser
Alston Observatory organises stargazing events at this location.
Observatory
Location has an observatory that is accessible to the public by prior arrangement or during public events.
Tonight's weather forecast
Location light pollution
This location is estimated to have light pollution levels similar to a semi-rural setting based on satellite data from CPRE.
When to stargaze at Alston Observatory
This location's semi-rural setting means it benefits from dark skies depending on the time of the year and lunar cycle. In the calendar below where you can see stars indicates when the skies will be dark and the best time to stargaze. Yellow areas show the adverse effects of daylight (bold) and moonlight (faded). Hover over a day to see darkness times or click on a date for more information.