We are a group of enthusiastic amateur astronomers who live and work on St. Martin's, in the Isles of Scilly, 28 miles southwest of the tip of Cornwall.
COSMOS – or as we were, St. Martin's Astronomical Society – started at our island pub. Our get-togethers were born out of a collective appreciation of the wondrous dark skies on Scilly - of learning about them together and sharing our enthusiasm with others. Over the last three years, we have evolved into a somewhat more organised group: we have worked hard to fundraise to build our own observatory, the first of its kind on the Isles of Scilly - and the most south-westerly observatory in the UK! This was all enabled through community support, and a significant grant from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. We're very proud of what we've achieved together, as a small group of amateur enthusiasts, and can't wait to share it with you.
Our observatory is run by the COSMOS committee, a team of dedicated volunteers. It's located behind the St. Martin's Island Hall & Reading Room, at the heart of our community. The facility provides two observation domes (one for deep sky viewing, one with the capacity for solar viewing – which can be used during the day), and a warm room, to house computer and camera equipment, and where we also hold talks and workshops.
Our vision is for the Observatory to be a centre of learning and exploration of our dark skies, for all ages, for our resident community and our visitors. As an aspiring centre of excellence located in the heart of our unique and protected environment – an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) as well as a designated Dark Sky Discovery Zone – we hope to boost rural tourism by encouraging a brand new set of 'astro-tourists' to Scilly. Our unpolluted dark skies offer fantastic opportunities for stargazing and exploring space, and we hope to share this wonder of our natural environment with many more people.
Equipment List
If you wish to attach your own cameras to our telescopes, you will need to bring your own T Ring and T Adapter, examples of which can be found here. We're a community group, so private use of the Observatory is at the discretion of the COSMOS committee and subject to availability.
COSMOS – or as we were, St. Martin's Astronomical Society – started at our island pub. Our get-togethers were born out of a collective appreciation of the wondrous dark skies on Scilly - of learning about them together and sharing our enthusiasm with others. Over the last three years, we have evolved into a somewhat more organised group: we have worked hard to fundraise to build our own observatory, the first of its kind on the Isles of Scilly - and the most south-westerly observatory in the UK! This was all enabled through community support, and a significant grant from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. We're very proud of what we've achieved together, as a small group of amateur enthusiasts, and can't wait to share it with you.
Our observatory is run by the COSMOS committee, a team of dedicated volunteers. It's located behind the St. Martin's Island Hall & Reading Room, at the heart of our community. The facility provides two observation domes (one for deep sky viewing, one with the capacity for solar viewing – which can be used during the day), and a warm room, to house computer and camera equipment, and where we also hold talks and workshops.
Our vision is for the Observatory to be a centre of learning and exploration of our dark skies, for all ages, for our resident community and our visitors. As an aspiring centre of excellence located in the heart of our unique and protected environment – an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) as well as a designated Dark Sky Discovery Zone – we hope to boost rural tourism by encouraging a brand new set of 'astro-tourists' to Scilly. Our unpolluted dark skies offer fantastic opportunities for stargazing and exploring space, and we hope to share this wonder of our natural environment with many more people.
Equipment List
- 2 Pulsar domes
- Warm room with computer and WiFi
- Meade LX200 ACF 14" UHTC GOTO Telescope
- Altair Wave Series 130mm F7 ED Triplet APO Refractor Telescope
- Coronado Solarmax III 70 BF 15 Hydrogen Alpha Solar Telescope
- Celestron CGX Equatorial Mount
- ZWO ASI174MC USB 3.0 Colour CMOS Camera
If you wish to attach your own cameras to our telescopes, you will need to bring your own T Ring and T Adapter, examples of which can be found here. We're a community group, so private use of the Observatory is at the discretion of the COSMOS committee and subject to availability.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
If you are interested in supporting COSMOS, we would love to hear from you. We are a non-profit organisation, led by a team of dedicated volunteers, learning along the way! All donations - and advice - will make a huge difference to making the project a long-term success. Click here to make a donation, or get in touch for more information about how you can support us.
Supporters
The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development
Isles of Scilly Steamship Group
Co-op Local Community Fund
St. Martin's Island Group
Chris & Mark Holmes
Amy Lansdown
Dr Mary Lowth & Family
Kay Penney, in memory of Christopher Penney
John & Rosemary Penny
Cheryl Perkins, in memory of Nigel Perkins, who flew for Skybus
Roz & Ken Rokison
& Karma St Martin's Hotel
With many thanks to everyone else who has supported us on our journey.