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, who in 1834 discovered how to measure the distance to nearby stars using the “parallax” method.
The venue was redeveloped in 2019 and is now an art and exhibition space — unfortunately, as things stand, the observatory is not currently open to the public. However, The Astronomical Society of Edinburgh is planning to host events here.
Location events organiser
The Astronomical Society of Edinburgh organises events at this location
Please contact The Astronomical Society of Edinburgh directly with any enquiries relating to visiting this location
Email: [email protected]
Website: The Astronomical Society of Edinburgh
Twitter: @https://bsky.app/profile/astronomyedinburgh.bsky.social
Facebook: The Astronomical Society of Edinburgh
Weather forecast
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18/06/26
18° 48% -
18/06/26
18° 9% -
18/06/26
18° 49% -
19/06/26
17° 46%
Weather forecast for Edinburgh (0.2 miles away) updated 18/06/26 at 06:01. Powered by Met Office data.
Local light pollution
Edinburgh Playfair Observatory 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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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.
Best time to visit
The below chart shows when the skies will be at their darkest at this location and therefore the best time to visit. 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. See our dark sky calendar for more details.
Thu 18th Jun
Fri 19th Jun
Sat 20th Jun
Sun 21st Jun
Mon 22nd Jun
Tue 23rd Jun
Wed 24th Jun
Find more dates
If you are planning to visit this location check our dark sky calendar to find out when is best!
CalendarForthcoming events
Below is a list of events at Edinburgh Playfair Observatory. View these events on our calendar, add them to your calendar or Google Calendar.