The observatory is open to the public for scheduled events twice a week between April and October.
Our regular openings are:
Entrance
£6 or £5 (under 16s - limited number of tickets per session).
Bookings are taken securely via Eventbrite. Click here.
All under-16s need to be accompanied by an adult.
If you live or work on St Martin's, pop us an email before booking at cosmosscilly@gmail.com.
You will need to arrange your own transport to and from St Martin's if you are not staying on St Martin's.
During the tourist season there are daily boats to St Martin's from St Mary's during daylight hours. Due to navigational risk, inter-island boating is not available after dark. This means that, realistically, unless you are staying on St Martin's, you will need to plan your observatory visit for one of our Friday open afternoons.
St. Mary's Boatmen's Association (to/from St. Mary's): 01720 423999 / enquiries@scillyboating.co.uk
Falcon Boating (private hires): James Stedeford, 07841 368987 / james@falconboating.co.uk
Tresco Boats (to/from Tresco & Bryher/private hires): 01720 423373 / trescoboats@tresco.co.uk
St. Agnes Boating (to/from St. Agnes): 07790 742982 / john@stagnesboating.co.uk
Island Link Boating Services: Adam Morton: 07379 566248
Join our Facebook group to hear about the latest events and updates.
- Tuesday evenings, April - October: 21:00 - 22:00 (may run later if clear/good stargazing)
- Friday afternoons (April-October): 14:00 - 16:00 (drop-in sessions, no need to book)
Entrance
£6 or £5 (under 16s - limited number of tickets per session).
Bookings are taken securely via Eventbrite. Click here.
All under-16s need to be accompanied by an adult.
If you live or work on St Martin's, pop us an email before booking at cosmosscilly@gmail.com.
You will need to arrange your own transport to and from St Martin's if you are not staying on St Martin's.
During the tourist season there are daily boats to St Martin's from St Mary's during daylight hours. Due to navigational risk, inter-island boating is not available after dark. This means that, realistically, unless you are staying on St Martin's, you will need to plan your observatory visit for one of our Friday open afternoons.
St. Mary's Boatmen's Association (to/from St. Mary's): 01720 423999 / enquiries@scillyboating.co.uk
Falcon Boating (private hires): James Stedeford, 07841 368987 / james@falconboating.co.uk
Tresco Boats (to/from Tresco & Bryher/private hires): 01720 423373 / trescoboats@tresco.co.uk
St. Agnes Boating (to/from St. Agnes): 07790 742982 / john@stagnesboating.co.uk
Island Link Boating Services: Adam Morton: 07379 566248
Join our Facebook group to hear about the latest events and updates.
Visiting Us?
The following things are good to bear in mind...
The following things are good to bear in mind...
- Our scheduled sessions run rain or shine; if you can't look through a telescope because it's too light or cloudy, we'll still aim for you to leave more informed about what's up there, the observatory and Scilly's dark skies.
- If you are a larger group (6 or more), please get in touch before your visit.
- Dogs are not permitted in the domes or warm room. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome to join in everywhere else!
- We'll usually be outside and in the open air; astronomy is a 'cool' activity so wear lots of layers and warm clothing.
- No mobile phones or torches; to enjoy the night sky, our eyes need to be adjusted to the dark, so red light only.]
- If you have additional or mobility needs, or any specific access questions, please get in touch in advance of your visit.
- While you can attach cameras to our telescopes, we do not currently offer this at scheduled open sessions, so to enable all attendees to use the 'scopes fairly. If you wish to use our telescopes for astrophotography, please get in touch to arrange a private opening. If using a DSLR, you will need your own T Ring/T Adapter. Use of the telescopes for personal use will need to be booked in advance and is at the discretion of the COSMOS committee.
- You will need to arrange your own boating (if you aren't on St. Martin's) and accommodation. Please see here for information about inter-island boating.
- A comprehensive list of accommodation available on St. Martin's, with availability and contact details, can be found here.
Other Events
Dark Skies Week, our flagship week of Scilly-based astronomy, takes place in October. During the Summer months, we sometimes hold regular talks - depending on who's visiting and willing to share their knowledge! Over the Winter months, we have regular members meet-ups, Stargazing Tuesdays, from 6-7pm at the Observatory. These are led by members of the COSMOS Committee and are very much weather permitting! New members are welcomed. We're always open to new ideas so please do get in touch if there's an event/talk you'd either like to run or see.
Dark Skies Week, our flagship week of Scilly-based astronomy, takes place in October. During the Summer months, we sometimes hold regular talks - depending on who's visiting and willing to share their knowledge! Over the Winter months, we have regular members meet-ups, Stargazing Tuesdays, from 6-7pm at the Observatory. These are led by members of the COSMOS Committee and are very much weather permitting! New members are welcomed. We're always open to new ideas so please do get in touch if there's an event/talk you'd either like to run or see.