The Observatory
The repairs to damage caused by storm Darragh are progressing well. We hope to open soon…. once there’s a clear sky on a Friday.
If the weather permits there are observing sessions open to the public on a Friday evening.
Opening times and location details can be found on the Observatory page.

The observatory also opens on the first Sunday morning of the month from 10am until 1pm in support of Abbey Leys Farmers’ Market – again, weather permitting
Images of the month


Two images taken during our Friday night session on 4th April; the Moon and the Soul Nebula.
There are more images from the session on the News page.
Meetings
HLCO holds meetings on the second Thursday of each month in St John’s church room (location details here). Talks in astronomy and space research are given by invited experts or members of the HLCO team themselves. A small charge is made for these events. See below for details of future meetings.
We are always on the lookout for speakers. If you have an astronomy-related topic you’d like to share with a group of like-minded individuals, please get in touch by emailing hlco.steering@gmail.com
Upcoming HLCO Meetings
- May 8th 2025
Jupiter the bully, and Saturn the saviour
David Temperley of ADAS will present the story of how the solar system developed from tiny dust particles to mighty planets, concentrating on the role of Jupiter and Saturn in planetary formation, and introducing some of the latest research on the topic.