The York Observatory is located in the ground of the York Museum Gardens and is operated by the York Museums Trust. It is home to a historic 4″ refracting telescope built in 1850 by Thomas Cooke who soon after went on to build the largest telescope in the world at that time. The facility is open to the public most days depending on the availability of their dedicated and enthusiastic team of volunteers (do contact them prior to any visit) as well as a series of special open evenings. The museum also hosts an amazing collection of astronomical items and is well worthy of a visit!
Location events organiser
York Museums Trust organises events at this location
Please contact York Museums Trust directly with any enquiries relating to visiting this location
Email: [email protected]
Website: York Museums Trust
Weather forecast
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12/09/26
20° 12% -
12/09/26
21° 7% -
12/09/26
19° 6% -
13/09/26
17° 5%
Weather forecast for York (0.4 miles away) updated 12/09/26 at 12:01. Powered by Met Office data.
Local light pollution
York 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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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.
Sat 12th Sep
Sun 13th Sep
Mon 14th Sep
Tue 15th Sep
Wed 16th Sep
Thu 17th Sep
Fri 18th Sep
Find more dates
If you are planning to visit this location check our dark sky calendar to find out when is best!
CalendarEvents nearby
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