The Astronomy Centre
"Dedicated to the furtherance of Amateur Astronomy"
The Astronomy Centre is a major resource for both amateur astronomers and the general public. Based above Todmorden in the North West of England, we have facilities and on-site equipment for both members and visitors, plus remote access via the Internet for members.
The site offers a good compromise provding a reasonably dark site, while remaining close to the major conurbations of Manchester and Leeds.
The Observatory is open to the public every Saturday evening from 7:30pm onwards. Visitors are advised to wrap up warmly, with sensible footwear, as the site can get very cold at any time of year. There is a nominal charge for non-member visitors of £2 per person (£1 for children and concessions), though further donations are always welcome! Groups visits can also be made at other times by arrangement.
Please park on the lower plateau, next to the caravans. Access for unloading of telescopes etc. and disabled parking is available at the highest point of the site, next to the main dome. Further details are on our
Location Information Page.
Membership of the Centre is £15 per year, which allows full access to the Web Site, including the discussion forums, full-resolution images from the 'scope cameras etc. See the
Membership Page for more details.
The pictures above show an aerial view of the main observatory, beside images of the Moon, M42 in Orion and two of the Meade 16" telescopes. For scale, the main dome is about 8.5m (28ft) in diameter. The web-cam images at the upper right of this page are updated live whenever there is activity on the site.
