Institute of Astronomy: Outreach and Public Engagement

Welcome to Public Engagement at the Institute of Astronomy! Use the links below to explore our outreach activities, including our weekly public open evenings and opportunities for community groups and schools. Our open evenings this season start on Wednesday October 14.

The Northumberland telescope dome, under a starry sky
Public Open Evenings

The Institute of Astronomy is open to the public every Wednesday evening 7 - 9pm between October and March.

A girl looking through a telescope
Community group bookings

Book your community group for an astronomy evening at the Institute: a talk from our researchers and stargazing through our telescopes (weather permitting).
A schoolboy drawing a planet
For Schools

We offer astronomy outreach for schools (KS2 and above): we can come to your school, or you can visit us. Talks and activities for every key stage.

Events

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Black Hole Binaries, with Prof. Michael Küffmeier

14 October 2026 * 7:00pm to 9:00pm Institute of Astronomy

How do we measure distances in the Universe?, with Dr Madeleine Ginolin

21 October 2026 * 7:00pm to 9:00pm Institute of Astronomy

Cosmology in the age of machine learning, with Lawrence Berry

28 October 2026 * 7:00pm to 9:00pm Institute of Astronomy

Public Open Evening (Talk TBD)

4 November 2026 * 7:00pm to 9:00pm Institute of Astronomy

The mystery of early Supermassive Black Hole Formation, with Julie Beck

11 November 2026 * 7:00pm to 9:00pm Institute of Astronomy

Beyond Light: Hearing the Universe with Gravitational Waves, with Richard Dyer

18 November 2026 * 7:00pm to 9:00pm Institute of Astronomy

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