The morning after the night before: We had an absolutely amazing and unprecedented turnout for our solar eclipse event. Unbelievable! Thank you to everyone who came along, for your enthusiasm, your understanding, and for making it the best communal experience we have ever had the pleasure to host.

We apologise to anyone who was inconvenienced by the traffic and the wait time, and to those who may have sadly missed out. We have a limited volunteer-base (none of us are paid), we tried our best and, being difficult to predict numbers as pre-booking for a weather-related event is difficult to plan, but also takes a lot of volunteers to manage.

There will always be things to learn for the future so see you in 2090!

12 August 2026

Doors open 5pm
(Eclipse: 6:18pm – 8:09pm, maximum at 7:16pm.
Storytelling: 8:30pm.
Perseids: 9:30pm+).
Adults: £12, Children: £6, Family: £30
Entry fee includes eclipse glasses (subject to availability)

—–> Observing the sun without proper protection is dangerous for your eyes. <—–
—–> Come to the NLO where we have special equipment to let you view it safely. <—–

Join experienced astronomers at the NLO to safely* witness an extremely rare and exciting

Partial Solar Eclipse

and the peak of the

Perseid Meteor Shower

Also, suitable for all the family:

Storytelling under the Stars

* Safely means using the correct equipment. The Sun’s surface will be visible throughout the entire partial eclipse.
Never look directly at the Sun, even through clouds. Do not risk your eyesight. *

• The partial solar eclipse will be spectacular with the Moon covering up to 94.4% of the Sun.
  • Eclipse 6:18pm – 8:09pm, maximum at 7:16pm
  • With the right equipment (solar viewing glasses, specialist solar telescopes, hydrogen-alpha telescopes) you can view the eclipse safely and witness something very special. Never look directly at the Sun, even through clouds. Do not risk your eyesight.
  • Visibility is subject to the weather. If cloudy, the event will still go ahead, hopefully with livestreams from Iceland and Spain (unless they are also clouded out!)

• Gather round and listen to Storyteller David Heathfield and musician Kimwei McCarthy who will enchant us with Orpheus’ Lyre in the Underworld, as well as Amano Iwato, the Heavenly Eclipse from Japanese Shinto mythology. Please bring a rug or reclining chair.
  • Storytelling schedules to start around 8:30pm
  • Either outside if dry, or in the lecture theatre if the ground is wet

• The Perseid meteor shower should also provide many shooting stars every hour.
  • It needs to be dark, so the opportunity to spot meteors starts from ~9:30pm til late
  • They can be bright, faint, a flick seen out of the corner of your eye, but the collective experience of hearing people exclaiming in delight is something really special.
  • You can make as many wishes as you like! Disclaimer: The NLO is not responsible for fulfilment of said wishes.

What to bring:

• Warm clothes – if the skies are clear it will start to get chilly after sunset
• Small torches (not lamps) to navigate uneven surfaces. Phone lights are sufficient.
• Picnic if you so wish. No barbecues. No alcohol. Light refreshments are available from 165-Coffee throughout the evening.
• Water to stay hydrated. It will be a warm evening.
• No smoking, no vaping.
• No dogs as they are not allowed in the buildings.

The calendar entry on the front-page of our website is repeated below:

It’s the partial solar eclipse and Perseid meteor shower night! Come along, look through our specialist safe telescopes to witness the Moon slowly swallowing up the Sun. This will be followed by storytelling under the stars by storyteller David Heathfield, and the chance to see meteors shooting across the sky. We hope the sky will be clear, but, worry not, we also plan to show live feeds of the eclipse in the lecture theatre.

Refreshments available to purchase throughout the evening from 165-Coffee.

Adults: £12
Children: £6
Family: £30

Members: FREE*

No booking required.

* Annual membership costs £35 (£60 joint | £10 under 18) and covers all our members meetings and some public events

Planned schedule (all subject to change on the night):
17:00 Doors Open
18:18 Solar eclipse first contact
19:16 Solar eclipse maximum (94.4% of the Sun occulted)
20:09 Solar eclipse last contact
20:30 Storytelling under the Stars!
and the Perseid Meteor shower

At certain points during the evening depending upon weather and visitor numbers:
 – Planetarium presentation(s)
 – Tours of the historic telescopes and Lockyer Technology Centre