Camera Obscura

The Royal Observatory Greenwich camera obscura is housed in a small summerhouse in the Meridian Courtyard.

There have been a number of camera obscuras at Greenwich, dating from the late 17th century till the mid-19th century. The current one was installed in 1994 and shows a close-up, moving panorama of Greenwich and the Thames, the National Maritime Museum and the Royal Naval College.

What is a camera obscura? 

A precursor to the photographic camera, it is also known as a pinhole image. A natural optical phenomenon, it occurs when an obstructed image is displayed through a small hole. When the image is reversed and inverted onto an opposite wall, it offers the viewer a close up look at the image. This method was originally used to study eclipses, without needing to look at the sun. 

Visiting the camera obscura

Due to the nature of the camera obscura, on gloomy days the image can be poor and the camera obscura could be closed during your visit. 

For visitors particularly interested in seeing the camera obscura operating, we would recommend visiting during the brighter months when the days are longer.