Planetarium day and stargazing evening

Planetarium day and stargazing evening

Sunday 17th December 2023 from 15:00pm to 19:00pm

The Constable Memorial Hall
East Bergholt, Colchester, Essex, CO7 6TP, East of England

Join the team from the Dedham Vale Dark Skies Campaign for this FREE event at The Constable Memorial Hall in East Bergholt.

There will be three planetarium shows starting at 3:30,4:15 and 5:00. Each show will be restricted to a maximum of 30 people and will last for 30 minutes. The shows will feature some of the wonders of the night skies and will be presented by Andy Green of the Original StarDome Planetarium established over 28 years ago.

Whilst you are waiting for the show to start you can browse several stands exhibiting: The Dark Skies Campaign, Tiptree Stargazers, Planets, Meteorites, and Telescopes. We will also have several experienced outreach astronomers on hand to assist you in our Telescope Workshop.

After the show you will be able to go outside and view the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn through some of our telescopes (Weather Dependant).

This event is very suitable for both children and adults and is timed to allow children to participate without disrupting their schooling. Booking is essential as the numbers are strictly restricted by the size of the Planetarium.

To Book please email [email protected] with your name, number in the party and your choice of planetarium show time.

As usual there will be no cost for this event and we will also be providing FREE Tea, Coffee or Squash.

Dedham Vale planetarium and stargazing poster

Please note that this has already taken place on 17/12/2023


Event organiser

Dedham Vale National Landscape Dark Skies Campaign

Dedham Vale National Landscape Dark Skies Campaign is organising this event

Please contact Dedham Vale National Landscape Dark Skies Campaign directly for more details regarding this event or, if appropriate, contact the event venue.


Event booking

Please email [email protected] with your name, number in the party and your choice of planetarium show time.

Visit event website

Event darkness

The Moon has a big impact on the visibility of celestial bodies in the night sky. Try to plan your stargazing when there is no bright Moon at night as this is when the skies will be at their darkest.

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.



Stay and gaze nearby

Stay at one of these stargazing-friendly accommodation providers.

  • Windmill Lodges

    Red House Farm, Saxtead, Suffolk, IP13 9RD (21.6 miles away)

    Stay & Gaze

    More info
  • Blyth Rise Stays

    Station Road, Laxfield, Suffolk, IP13 8HF (26.9 miles away)

    Stay & Gaze

    More info