Northstar Observatory
Three hundred billion stars. One evening.
Our telescopes reach across the galaxy. Scroll down and fall with them: from the whole Milky Way to a single world.
Scroll to fall inward
01 · The galaxy
You are somewhere in here.
A barred spiral a hundred thousand light-years across. Our Sun sits two-thirds of the way out, in a quiet arm.
Light from the far side left before humans painted caves.
02 · One star
A small, steady sun.
Eight planets, a belt of rubble and a long tail of ice. The third orbit is the one that matters to us.
One astronomical unit: 150 million kilometres.
03 · Home
Clouds, oceans, city lights.
On the night side, the lights of eight billion people. Above them, a ring of satellites you can see from our roof.
On a clear night we track twenty satellites an hour by eye.
Look up, with company.
Evenings at Northstar
Our astronomers run the big telescope every clear night from dusk until midnight. Planetarium shows run rain or shine.
Book a night →A night at the observatory
From dusk to deep sky.
19:30
Planetarium
Tonight's sky, projected and explained.
20:30
First light
The Moon and planets through the 1 m reflector.
21:30
Deep sky
Nebulae, clusters and galaxies once it is properly dark.
23:00
Satellite watch
Count the ISS and the rest from the roof terrace.
1m
Main mirror
220nights
Clear skies a year
40k
Visitors a year
12M ly
Farthest galaxy you can see