Every year, in September, the Royal Observatory Edinburgh throws open its gates to the general public, offering a rare chance to see behind the scenes and discover more about the amazing science, technology and research taking place on site.
Visitor feedback was overwhelming positive with 95% saying they really enjoyed (83%) or enjoyed (12%) their visit.
This year's theme was the 25th anniversary of UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC) and the Wide Field Astronomy Unit within the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Astronomy.
A fantastic opportunity to engage with the public, look back on past successes but also showcase future projects. People could learn about ancient books in the Crawford Collection and the history of the site in the library or visit the labs and see where next generation instruments, like MOONS, are being built.
It was also great to see the workshop open for the first time since before the pandemic (it was closed for renovations last year). Highlighting UK ATC's work and skill in manufacturing and 3D printing.
Astronomers, engineers, and technicians were on hand to talk about the James Webb Space Telescope, SKA, ELT, VLT, Gaia, Euclid and many more. There were hands on demos, astronomy crafts, solar telescopes, astronomy talks and the incredibly popular mini-Lego kits of Euclid.
An event of this scale isn't possible without an army of volunteers. So, a big thank you to everyone from UK ATC, The Institute for Astronomy, STFC, the Higgs Centre for Innovation and the Astronomy Society of Edinburgh who gave up their time to help. We really couldn't have done it without you!
We can confirm we'll be taking part in Doors Open Day again in 2024 on 28 & 29 September.
