Location description
Inspired by a Greek temple of the Four Winds, the Playfair Observatory, also known as the Edinburgh City Observatory was designed by William Henry Playfair in 1818. The first Astronomer Royal to work at the facility was Professor Thomas Henderson in 1834, an astronomer who had discovered how to measure the distance to nearby stars using the “parallax” method. The venue was redeveloped in 2019 and is now an arts and exhibition space — unfortunately as things stand the observatory is not currently open to the public however some stargazing events are planned to be held here in collaboration with The Astronomical Society of Edinburgh.
Location event organiser
The Astronomical Society of Edinburgh 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 urban setting based on satellite data from CPRE.
Stargazing events at this location
There are no known forthcoming events at this location. Previously there have been 1 event which was on 11th November 2019 organised by The Astronomical Society of Edinburgh.
