Star gazing lights up St Andrew’s night

Tuesday 22 November 2005

Amateur astronomers can view the night sky’s delights next week when the University of St Andrews opens its Observatory to the public, free of charge.

The University will continue its tradition of opening the Observatory on St Andrew’s Day, Wednesday 30 November. Members of the public will be welcomed free of charge from 6pm to 9pm.

Dr Ron Hilditch, Director of the Observatory said, “This is a great opportunity for locals, and their families, to view the skies via a range of state-of-the-art telescopes and hear first-hand from some of the University’s professional astronomers.

“If we’re lucky and the sky is clear, Venus will be visible low in the south-west in late afternoon or early evening and Mars will be very prominent all evening. We’re also offering another telescope to look through this year. In the event that the sky is too cloudy for direct observations, there’s no shortage of other sights to enjoy with a range of computer-generated colour images, exhibits and explanations to enthral visitors of all ages”.

The Observatory will be open to the public on St Andrews Day, Wednesday 30 November, from 6pm to 9pm. Admission is free and everyone is welcome, especially families with children of all ages. The Observatory is located just off Buchanan Gardens, St Andrews, at the University’s sports fields. Some car parking space is available at the observatory or, if necessary, on Buchanan Gardens itself.

Issued by Beattie Media On behalf of the University of St Andrews For more information, please contact Claire Grainger, Press Officer – 01334 462530, 07730 415 015 or [email protected];

Ref: press releasese/observatorystandsnight.do c View the latest University news at http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk


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