Born of StarsEvery atom in your hand was made inside a star.35 minutesAges 6 and upNext showing
- Today · 15:00
- Tomorrow · 11:00
- Tomorrow · 15:00
Sky Tonight
What is abovethe dome tonight
Calculated for our roof deck at 51.15° north, from the real positions of the stars, Moon and planets. Drag the clock through the night, or choose another date.
Calculating tonight's sky
Tonight
--:--
Sunset --:--Sunrise --:--
That night, in a sentence
Working out what is worth looking at.
Planets you can see
The Eyepiece
The dark is notas empty as it looks.
Move slowly across the dark below. Twelve objects are hiding in it, each one a real photograph from Hubble or the European Southern Observatory. Rest on one to log it, and watch your own constellation grow.
0 of 12 objects found
See the full catalogueMove the eyepiece and rest on an object, or use the arrow keys
Voyager 1 · launched 5 Sep 1977Voyager 2 · launched 20 Aug 1977New Horizons · launched 19 Jan 2006Pioneer 10 · launched 3 Mar 1972Pioneer 11 · launched 6 Apr 1973
The Solar System
Everything that circles our star
Placing the planets
Planetarium shows
Lie back.The sky comes to you.
A twelve-metre dome, one hundred and fifty reclining seats and a star projector that shows the sky exactly as it would look from the darkest place on Earth. Every show is introduced by one of our astronomers.
Born of StarsEvery atom in your hand was made inside a star.35 minutesAges 6 and up
The Long NightOne night above Exmoor, from the last blue of dusk to first light.45 minutesAges 8 and upNext showing
- Today · 19:30
- Tomorrow · 19:30
- Fri 16 Oct · 19:30
Small WorldsA family tour of the planets, one world at a time.30 minutesAll ages, best for 4 to 10Next showing
- Tomorrow · 13:00
- Fri 16 Oct · 13:00
- Sat 17 Oct · 10:30
Pick a date
The roof deck, 420 m above the seaTelescope nights
Nightson the roof
Guided observing with one of our astronomers, never more than twelve of you at the telescopes. Real telescopes, real eyepieces, and time to look properly: the Moon's mountains, Saturn's rings, galaxies millions of years away. Then we show you how to find them again from your own garden.
On the deck this October
- Saturn
- The Andromeda Galaxy
- The Double Cluster in Perseus
- Albireo
- The lunar terminator: Copernicus
- The Straight Wall
Next night
Saturn and the autumn sky
Friday 16 October · 20:00 to 22:30
12
places left
Clear · 1% cloud · seeing 4/5
£28 · members £18
Research log
Notes fromthe night shift
When the visitors have gone home, the big telescope keeps working: timing eclipsing stars, catching exoplanets crossing their suns, and sending the results to the people who need them.
12 Oct.
Eclipsing binary
Algol, Beta Persei
40 cm reflector, CMOS camera, V filter · 3 h 10 min, 380 frames
Caught the primary eclipse from start to finish. Minimum came at 23:41 BST, four minutes later than the published ephemeris. Timing sent to the BAA Variable Star Section.
Dr Imogen Hale · Monday, 12 October 2026
9 Oct.
Long-period variable
Mira, Omicron Ceti
152 mm refractor, visual estimate · 18 min
Brightening steadily. Estimated at magnitude 5.2 against the usual comparison stars, up from 6.4 a fortnight ago.
Priya Varma · Friday, 9 October 2026
4 Oct.
Exoplanet transit
WASP-12 b
40 cm reflector, CMOS camera, R filter · 2 h 54 min
Clean transit, mid-time submitted to ExoClock. WASP-12 b is spiralling slowly into its star, and every precise timing helps measure how fast.
Dr Samuel Okafor · Sunday, 4 October 2026
Visit
Up onHollowmoor Ridge
CosmicLens Observatory
Hollowmoor Ridge
Wheddon Cross, Exmoor
Somerset, England
51° 09′ 05″ N 3° 33′ 55″ W
Opening hours
- Tuesday to SundayPlanetarium, exhibition and café
- 10:00 to 17:00
- Thursday to SaturdayLate shows and the roof deck
- until 23:30
- MondayExcept bank holidays
- Closed
CosmicLens
Getting here
Up the lane from the B3224, a mile north-west of Wheddon Cross. Postcodes cover miles of moor here, so follow the brown observatory signs or use the coordinates.
Parking
Free parking for forty cars and two coaches, with low red lighting. Please drive the last half mile on sidelights after dark: your headlights blind the telescopes.
Accessibility
Step-free from the car park to the dome, the exhibition and the café. The roof deck has a lift. Wheelchair spaces in the dome, a hearing loop at the desk, and assistance dogs welcome.
Dress for the roof
It is several degrees colder up here than in town and the deck is open to the wind. Bring a hat, gloves and one more layer than you think you need, even in summer.
Dark sky site. Please use red torches only.
