Public Open Evenings
Public open evenings are held at Bayfordbury Observatory once per month between October and March.
Spaces are limited so booking is required in advance.
What you can expect
During these events, you can:
- See some of our optical telescopes and, weather permitting, view interesting objects in the sky both looking through the telescopes and using high-sensitivity cameras.
- Meet the researchers, postgraduate and undergraduate students from the University's Department of Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics.
- See expert demonstrations in our lab.
- Attend talks on various astronomy topics.
- Talk to members of the local Hertford Astronomy Group
- Enjoy a tour around the sky in one of our planetariums.
These evenings are tailored specifically for the public so that adults and children alike can all enjoy the event, regardless of previous experience with astronomy.
Please note that the position and visibility of planets and the Moon change throughout the year, and we may not be able to show you your favourites. This is unfortunately beyond our control. Only the very brightest planets, and a handful of galaxies and nebulae will show any detail or colour with an eyepiece, and therefore many of the telescopes will be equipped with sensitive cameras to show you live images of targets that would otherwise be invisible to your eye.
If we do not have any Open Evenings coming up, consider our community visits, which are run through the rest of the year. Perfect for individuals, families or small groups, these are a blend of our popular Open Evenings and Group Visits.
If you have a group of more than 10, for the best experience please consider our private Group Visits which will allow us to tailor your visit to the experience of attendees and give you a fully guided tour. Run all year round, find out more about booking a group visit. Open Evenings are not suitable for large groups.
Ticket Prices
- Adults: £15
- Concessions: £8 (Students, under 13s, people in receipt of Universal Credit, Income Support or Job Seekers allowance, and disabled people (with free entry for one carer) are entitled to a concession discount.)
- Children under 3 are free.
Upcoming open evenings
- Friday 17th January 2025
- Friday 7th February 2025
- Friday 7th March 2025
Tickets are released approximately one month in advance of the Open Evening date.
Booking and payment is required in advance as spaces are limited and demand is high.
We have a range of staggered arrival times to manage limited parking. Please limit your visit to 2 hours.
Tickets - Friday 6th December
Book tickets for 5.30pm - 7.30pm
Book tickets for 6pm - 8pm
Book tickets for 6.45pm - 8.45pm
Book tickets for 7.45pm - 9.45pm
Other events
We have other opportunities to visit Bayfordbury Observatory, please see our event options of Community visits, Group visits and School trips. Or we could visit you with our Mobile Planetarium.
Previous open evenings
06 Dec 2024 - Galaxies and Black Holes
08 Nov 2024 - Introduction to Astronomy
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15 Mar 2024 - General Open Evening
16 Feb 2024 - General Open Evening
19 Jan 2024 - General Open Evening
01 Dec 2023 - General Open Evening
03 Nov 2023 - General Open Evening
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24 Mar 2023 - General Open Evening
24 Feb 2023 - General Open Evening
27 Jan 2023 - General Open Evening
02 Dec 2022 - General Open Evening
04 Nov 2022 - General Open Evening
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11 Mar 2022 - General Open Evening
25 Feb 2022 - JWST Special
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27 Mar 2020 - Cancelled
28 Feb 2020 - General Open Evening
31 Jan 2020 - General Open Evening
06 Dec 2019 - General Open Evening
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15 Feb 2019 - General Open Evening
08 Dec 2018 - General Open Evening
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09 Mar 2018 - Art meets Science at Bayfordbury
16 Feb 2018 - General Open Evening
26 Jan 2018 - General Open Evening
24 Nov 2017 - General Open Evening
20 Oct 2017 - General Open Evening
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31 Mar 2017 - Stargazing Live
03 Mar 2017 - Astrophotography and the Role of Amateur Astronomers
10 Feb 2017 - The Next Century of Space Exploration
20 Jan 2017 - Black Holes, Tiny and Huge
09 Dec 2016 - The Next Century of Astrophysics
11 Nov 2016 - Exoplanets/Proxima B special
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18 Mar 2016 - Galaxies: from the Big Bang till today
26 Feb 2016 - The Milky Way: The Galaxy we live in
22 Jan 2016 - BBC Stargazing Event / Research Student's Jamboree
27 Nov 2015 - Planets: from Pluto to exoplanets
30 Oct 2015 - Special guest: Stuart Clark
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March 2015 - BBC Stargazing Live
February 2015 - International Year of Light
January 2015 - General Open Evening
December 2014 - Comets and Asteroids
October 2014 - Halloween Special
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March 2014 - Art and Astronomy
February 2014 - Galaxies special
January 2014 - BBC Stargazing Live
December 2013 - Student's Life
November 2013 - Life of Stars
October 2013 - Atmospheric Physics
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March 2013 - Astrophotography & Comet Panstarrs
February 2013 - Extrasolar Planets
January 2013 - BBC stargazing live / MSc-PhD flash talks
December 2012 - Rockets and Space Exploration
November 2012 - Halloween astronomy
October 2012 - ESO's 50th birthday
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March 2012 - Light Pollution
January 2012 - BBC Stargazing Special
December 2011 - Bayfordbury and black holes
November 2011 - Nebulae open night
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March 2011 - Lab special
February 2011 - Radio and Rockets
January 2011 - Radio night
December 2010 - Exoplanets and Life
November 2010 - Cosmic Fireworks
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March 2010 - Herschel Infrared Space Telescope
February 2010 - Herschel Infrared Space Telescope
November 2009 - Starry Messenger and Real Rockets
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-What happens if the weather is bad?
The visit will run as planned, with the exception of opening the domes and looking through the telescopes. You will still be able to visit the domes and see how the telescopes operate. The telescopes are a small part of the evening and there are plenty of other activities to enjoy along with the telescopes.
Please check the weather before visiting, and prepare for walking in the rain if necessary (umbrella, rain coat and sensible footwear).
-If I need to cancel my reservation, can I get a refund?
We do not offer refunds if you cancel or miss your booking.
What our
visitors say
The view through the telescopes was a highlight. I would highly recommend this evening and I hope to make a return visit in the not to distant future.