South West Astronomy Fair 2026
Saturday 27th June 2026 from 10:00am to 22:00pm
Norman Lockyer Observatory and Planetarium
Salcombe Hill Road, Sidmouth, Devon, EX10 0NY
Everyone is welcome to join this celebration of astronomy at the wonderful Norman Lockyer Observatory. The event includes a whole host of activities and presentations, ideal for novices to experienced astronomers. Activities include:
– Free tours with talks of the Historical Telescope Domes
– Free Access to The Planetarium Shows
– Free programme of Events and Talks by the NLO Groups
– Live Solar Observing (weather permitting)
– Talks by USW Rocketry and displays of their competition rockets
– Displays from Astronomy Societies, Mission Astro, Institute of Physics
– Trade Marquee with Exhibitors: Widescreen Centre, First Light Optics, Bresser, MSG Meteorites, Society for Popular Astronomy
– A raffle with prizes including a SeeStar S50 telescope generously donated by ZWO.
– Lockyer Technology Centre
– Demonstrations of how to use the ZWO SeeStar S50 smart telescope
– More activities currently being planned
The Guest speakers will give interesting talks on a topical area within current astronomy and will include visual presentations. These will be held in the main Lecture Theatre.
Event organiser
Norman Lockyer Astronomical Society is organising this event
Please contact Norman Lockyer Astronomical Society directly for more details regarding this event or, if appropriate, contact the event venue.
Email: [email protected]
Website: Norman Lockyer Astronomical Society
Twitter: @NLOastronomy
Facebook: Norman Lockyer Astronomical Society
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.
Sat 27th Jun
Local light pollution
Norman Lockyer Observatory and Planetarium is estimated to have light pollution levels similar to a semi-rural 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.
Light pollution map of Norman Lockyer Observatory and Planetarium
Forthcoming events
Below is a list of events at Norman Lockyer Observatory and Planetarium. View these events on our calendar, add them to your calendar or Google Calendar.
Stay and gaze nearby
Stay at one of these stargazing-friendly accommodation providers.