The Chesterfield Barnett Observatory

The Chesterfield Barnett Observatory

The Chesterfield Barnett Observatory is open every Friday from 8pm onwards, closing around 10pm. No need to book. Provided it isn’t too cloudy, just pop over to see us and we’ll get you stargazing. If there are breaks in the cloud we are good to go! See planets, star clusters, faint gas clouds and distant galaxies through our high quality telescopes. The big daddy of them all is our magnificent 18 inch reflecting telescope. Beautifully engineered way back in 1960, it was the largest amateur telescope in the country, and it is as good today as it was then.

Children under 16 (accompanied by an adult) are free but as a “not for profit” registered charity, we do appreciate a small charge of £2 per adult.

If we have complete cloud cover then, obviously, you won’t get much of a view. However we will be able to introduce you to this wonderful hobby. You will be able to look at, rather than look through our scopes. You can also have a look at some of the amazing astronomical photographs taken by some of our members.

We are wheelchair friendly although the large observatory scope requires the climbing of steps to reach the eyepiece, which may make it difficult for people with mobility problems. This isn’t the end of the world (or the universe) since on clear nights, we have excellent scopes in action outside the dome.

The observatory is located on a small residential close. As such, parking can be a problem and we ask that all visitors – including those who drop off children or adults for group visits, to consider our neighbours’ needs for parking and respect the peace and privacy to which they are entitled. There are numerous local streets with easy parking, particularly Dukes Drive.

If you would like more details of the history and mechanics of the 18 inch Barnet Telescope and our other scopes, or how the Observatory is cared for click here.