Photonica 2026 - A Journey Through the Cosmos (FREE)
Tuesday 15th September 2026 from 10:00am to Sunday 20th September 2026 17:00pm
The Cutty-Sark Centre
40 High Street, Ayr, Ayrshire, KA7 1QW, Scotland
Photonica is a free six-day immersive space exhibition celebrating the beauty of Ayrshire’s night skies and the wider universe. Visitors can explore visual installations, astrophotography, interactive experiences, talks, and workshops led by astronomers, artists, and Scotland’s Astronomer Royal. The event also features stunning space imagery by Australian astrophotographer Rod Prazeres, including images used in the movie Project Hail Mary.
Event booking
For full details on how to attend this event, including how to book, please see the event's official website.
Visit event websiteEvent darkness
The below chart shows if and when the skies will be at their darkest during this event. Moonlight is shown in light yellow and the Sun's twilight in light blue. Midnight on the date shown is shown as a white line with sunset to the left and sunrise the next morning to the right. A black background with stars shows the best times for stargazing.
Tue 15th Sep
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Local light pollution
The Cutty-Sark Centre is estimated to have light pollution levels similar to an urban location based on the latest data from the VIIRS satellite. For more advanced light pollution data, view this location on DarkSkySites.
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Semi-rural
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Dark site
The above demonstrates the estimated effect of light pollution - graphics created using Stellarium.
Forthcoming events
Below is a list of events at The Cutty-Sark Centre. View these events on our calendar, add them to your calendar or Google Calendar.