Check out the latest digital events, virtual tours and videos from Royal Museums Greenwich, and learn more about the sea, space, history and creativity.

A field of lavender at night, with an arch of stars appearing to reflect the purple of the fields

Stars of the show

The winner of Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2021 has been revealed! Check out all the astounding winning photographs
See the winners Visit the exhibition

Highlights

The power of youth: portraits and symbols in Tudors to Windsors
Listen to Lewisham students respond to key paintings in the National Maritime Museum's major exhibition
'A banal and depraved business'
How Museum archives help to expose the realities of the transatlantic slave trade
Collections Online
Our new online collections database is now live! Explore our objects, paintings, libraries and archives from home
Ships, Sea & the Stars
Join presenter Helen Czerski and a host of curators and special guests as they pick some of the favourite objects and stories from our collections
Royal history
Find out about the kings and queens who left their mark in Greenwich and surprising royal connections hidden in our collections
Family activities to do at home
Find great learning ideas for kids, and join our online classes and virtual play sessions
2021 guide to the night sky
Find out what to see in the night sky in 2021 with the Royal Observatory's astronomy calendar
History of Cutty Sark
Delve into the fascinating history of Cutty Sark - the record-breaking tea clipper which travelled the globe and visited every major world port
History of the Royal Observatory
Find out more about the founding of the Royal Observatory and how it came to be known as the 'Home of Time'
History of the Queen's House
The centre of Greenwich for hundreds of years, the beautiful Queen's House has also been at the heart of royal life

What’s On

Check out our online events, talks and virtual tours. See everything that is happening
Talks and courses

Introduction to Astronomy Online

Learn the basics of astronomy at the home of time and space in this online course
Mondays, 7-9pm | Courses beginning from 13 Sep and 18 Apr
Evenings & Lates

Tudors to Windsors LIVE

Join exhibition curators online to see highlights from Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits
Wednesday 29 September | 6.30pm
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Access events

SENsory Social Club Online

Join the weekly online club for adults and young people with SEND
Fridays during term time | 11.00am – 12.00pm
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Talks and courses

Benjamin Fletcher (1890–1949): The Most Important Black American Docker You've Never Heard Of

Join us for a free online talk on Benjamin Harrison Fletcher, a Black labour leader from Philadelphia who played a major role in organising American dockers during the first half of the twentieth century
Monday 25 October 2021 | 5.15pm - 6.30pm
Family fun

Holiday to Space

Travel across the Solar System and help Ted plan for a holiday on another planet
27, 28 October | 10:30am - 12:00 noon
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Talks and courses

Introduction to Astrophotography

Learn how to take images of the night sky in our online introduction to astrophotography course
Mondays, 7-9pm | 6-week courses beginning 1 Nov, 3 Jan & 21 Feb
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Talks and courses

The Sky and Ocean Reconnected: Linking the Histories of Observatories and Oceans

Join us for a free online talk on the historical connections between astronomical observatories and the maritime world
Tuesday 16 November 2021 | 1pm - 2.15pm
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Talks and courses

Christmas at Sea: 400 Years of the Festive Season Afloat

Join us for a free talk on celebrating the Christmas at sea
Tuesday 7 December | 5.15pm - 6.45pm

Stories of the sea

A new figurehead for Cutty Sark
Nannie the witch has had a makeover. Discover how traditional skills and careful research have breathed new life into Cutty Sark's figurehead
History of the Empire Windrush
Discover the history of the Windrush, the ship that brought some of the first post-war migrants from the Caribbean to Britain
The extraordinary life of Grace O'Malley
Discover the story of the pioneering 16th century pirate and seafarer – and her surprising links with Greenwich
What is a mermaid?
Tales of mermaids date back to the first written accounts of humanity, but how much do we know about the mythical sea creatures?
A history of sea shanties
From sailor songs to TikTok sensations, find out more about the history of the sea shanty, and discover the meanings behind 'The Wellerman' and other famous examples
How can shipping be more environmentally friendly?
From Cutty Sark to cutting edge technology, could a new era of wind power help global trade go green?
A rum deal: The origins of Nelson’s blood
Rum has long been a part of Britain's maritime heritage - but what is the real history of Nelson's Blood? Find out more about rum and the Navy below.
History of Cutty Sark
Delve into the fascinating history of Cutty Sark - the record-breaking tea clipper which travelled the globe and visited every major world port

Space and astronomy

When is the next full Moon?
Check the dates for every full Moon throughout the year, and learn about lunar phases, 'supermoons' and more
Guide to meteor showers
Want to see shooting stars? Check the key dates for major meteor showers in the UK and how to see them in the night sky
NASA's Perseverance rover: everything you need to know about the new Mars rover
NASA's new rover is ready to begin searching for life on Mars
What causes the Northern Lights?
The aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, is one of the most spectacular displays in the night sky. What is the science behind these ethereal curtains of light?
History of the Great Equatorial Telescope
The Great Equatorial Telescope at the Royal Observatory kept Britain at the forefront of astrophysics and greatly expanded our knowledge of stars
2021 guide to the night sky
Find out what to see in the night sky in 2021 with the Royal Observatory's astronomy calendar
Space exploration
Find out more about current and future space missions, and take a trip back through the history of the space race.

Royal history

Symbolism in portraits of Queen Elizabeth I
Find out more about the Tudor symbols used in portraits of Queen Elizabeth I and discover what they mean
Queens of the Queen’s House
Greenwich has been a key location for the royal family for over 500 years
Greenwich Palace and the Tudors
Situated beside the River Thames, Greenwich had been a popular royal residence for centuries
Masque and music at the Stuart court
Henrietta Maria and Charles I loved to present masques - great spectacles of dance, music, poetry and drama.
Discover more royal history
Find out about the kings and queens who left their mark in Greenwich and surprising royal connections hidden in our collections

Exploration and endeavour

History of Antarctic explorers
From first sighting to reaching the South Pole, discover the history of exploring Antarctica
What happened to the crew of Erebus and Terror?
Sir John Franklin's final voyage in 1845 in HMS Erebus and HMS Terror became the worst disaster in the history of British polar exploration
The shoes that survived: caring for Captain Scott's shoes
Learn how explorer Robert Falcon Scott's ski overshoes were prepared for display in the new Polar Worlds gallery
The race to the South Pole: Scott and Amundsen
What was the race to the South Pole and who reached it first?
Learn more about polar exploration
Read about the thrills, chills and heroic endeavours of polar exploration.

The story of time

What exactly is Greenwich Mean Time?
How did local clock time in Greenwich change the world?
Why do the clocks go back?
Marking the end of British Summer Time, the clocks go back in October, giving us an extra hour in bed. But why do the clocks change?
Longitude found - the story of Harrison's Clocks
Who was John Harrison, and how did his clocks help to solve the problem of finding longitude at sea?
Why 12 months in a year, seven days in a week or 60 minutes in an hour?
While days and years are (fairly) neat astronomical events, what explains months, weeks, hours and minutes?
Learn more about time
From Greenwich Mean Time to groundbreaking instruments, it's time to wind back the clock on the history of timekeeping

Latest blogs

Go behind the scenes with our expert curators, astronomers, conservators and library and archive team
Museum blog