Royal Observatory Greenwich Closes 2 November Until 2027

If you have been meaning to stand on the Prime Meridian, this weekend is your last chance until next summer: the Royal Observatory Greenwich closes on 2 November for its rebuild. Elsewhere, an evening stargazing cruise with a former Stargazing Live presenter has started on the Norfolk Broads, and the British Astronomical Association has a new president.

The Royal Observatory closes on 2 November; the Meridian Courtyard returns in summer 2027

Royal Museums Greenwich says the Royal Observatory is open until 2 November 2026 and then closes temporarily while building work for its First Light project takes over the site. The Meridian Courtyard, where you stand astride the Prime Meridian line, will reopen in summer 2027, with tickets going on sale in January. The whole project is due to be finished by spring 2028. Until the doors shut, entry is £24 for adults and £12 for children, and members go free.

The First Light plans include a new entrance pavilion, new astronomy galleries built around light, matter and motion, an “Astronomers’ Court” for live science demonstrations, new landscaping and a lift tower that will make the Great Equatorial Telescope fully accessible for the first time. The Peter Harrison Planetarium is already shut as part of the same work; in the meantime the museum runs a planetarium experience and its astronomers’ talks at the National Maritime Museum, a short walk down the hill, under the name Astronomers Take Over.

If you were planning a trip to see a big telescope in London this winter, it will have to wait. Our guide to stargazing near London covers the dark sites within reach of the city, and UK stargazing events and star parties lists public observing nights elsewhere. Sources: Royal Museums Greenwich, First Light transformation project and Royal Observatory visitor page.

Stargazing cruises on the Norfolk Broads with Mark Thompson, £35

Broads Tours has started evening Dark Sky Experiences from Wroxham, hosted by the astronomer and broadcaster Mark Thompson, who co-presented BBC Stargazing Live. The first ran on 21 October, the Eastern Daily Press reported that day. Each is a two-hour cruise starting at 7pm and costs £35: a talk on the way out, a laser-pointer tour of the sky at Salhouse Broad, and a question-and-answer session on the way back, with mulled wine or cider on arrival and blankets on board. It is for adults and young people aged 14 and over.

Three dates are left: 17 November, 13 December and 13 February. Broads Tours says the nights were chosen with meteor showers in mind, and 17 November is the night of the Leonids’ peak. Be realistic about that one, though: the cruise is back by about 9pm, and our Leonids 2026 guide explains why the best hours for that shower are from 1am. As a first look at the constellations away from street lights, with someone pointing at them, it is good value. Our how to start stargazing guide covers what to do next. Sources: Broads Tours, Dark Sky Stargazing Experience and the Eastern Daily Press.

The British Astronomical Association elects Dr Andrew Wilson as president

The British Astronomical Association, founded in 1890 and mostly made up of amateur observers, has elected Dr Andrew Wilson as its president, the University of Exeter announced on 29 October. The role lasts two to three years and includes chairing the association’s board of trustees.

His route there will encourage anyone who observes for fun. Dr Wilson spent his career in financial technology while observing as a BAA member, and in 2015 won the association’s Merlin medal for building an online database of amateur variable star measurements going back to 1840. He then took a part-time PhD, finished in 2024, and is now a postdoctoral researcher in Exeter’s astrophysics group, using machine learning to find young stars in the Milky Way. The BAA’s observing sections are one of the most direct ways an amateur with a modest telescope can contribute real data; our guide to how to use a telescope is the place to start if you are not there yet. Source: University of Exeter.