Stars and Snowdrops at Hanwell Community Observatory
Saturday 14th February 2026 from 10:00am to Sunday 15th February 2026 16:00pm
Hanwell Community Observatory
Hanwell, Banbury, Oxfordshire, OX17 1HN
Everyone is invited to join the friendly astronomers of Hanwell Community Observatory at their annual Stars and Snowdrops open weekend, which occur on the second weekend of February each year. Enjoy a walk around the castle gardens amongst the snowdrops and learn more about the observatory and its telescopes, a great little adventure for the family, or those looking for an outdoor escape!
This event marks the welcome return of the popular annual event, the first Stars and Snowdrops event since 2020. In that time, the much-loved and popular observatory Founder and Director, Christopher Taylor, sadly passed, and it is in his memory that these events recommence. Go Stargazing pass our condolences to the HCO team.
Please note that this has already taken place on 14/02/2026
Event organiser
Hanwell Community Observatory is organising this event
Please contact Hanwell Community Observatory directly for more details regarding this event or, if appropriate, contact the event venue.
Email: [email protected]
Website: Hanwell Community Observatory
Twitter: @HanwellObs
Facebook: Hanwell Community Observatory
Event booking
Event 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 14th Feb
Sun 15th Feb
Local light pollution
Hanwell Community Observatory 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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Urban
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Suburban
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Semi-rural
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Rural
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Dark site
The above demonstrates the estimated effect of light pollution - graphics created using Stellarium.