Essential Information
| Type | Courses |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Date and Times | Six-week courses held on Tuesday evenings | See page for available dates |
| Prices | £96 |
An astronomy course for absolute beginners, led by an engaging tutor from Royal Observatory Greenwich.
This six-week course is for people with no prior knowledge of astronomy. It offers a basic introduction to the subject from historical, scientific and practical perspectives.
Introduction to Astronomy is an excellent standalone course, but can also provide a stepping stone to other introductory courses run by the Royal Observatory, such as Amateur Astronomy for Beginners, Introduction to Astrophysics and the online course Introduction to Astrophotography.
Everyone taking a course is also entitled to a 10% discount on books purchased from Royal Museums Greenwich - please check with your course tutor for more details!
Age: 18+
With the exciting renovation project occurring at the Royal Observatory, our on-site courses have relocated down the hill to the National Maritime Museum. Our expert tutors will run their sessions in a unique environment with access to a range of resources provided by the galleries and exhibitions of the Museum.
When do courses run?
Courses take place on Tuesday evenings from 7-9pm and run for six weeks in total. The full dates for the 2025/26 academic year are below; when making your booking, simply select the start date of the course you'd like to join in the calendar:
- 16 September – 21 October 2025
- 4 November – 9 December 2025
- 6 January – 10 February 2026
- 24 February – 31 March 2026
- 21 April – 26 May 2026
Please note: Each course is intended to be run on-site at the National Maritime Museum, although occasional online sessions may become necessary in rare circumstances. Please only book if you are certain you will be able to attend an on-site course. An online version of this course is also available here.
This was one of the best things I’ve done. Greg is a brilliant teacher and at the beginning I honestly thought I may have bitten off more than I could chew as I hardly knew anything about astronomy, but as we progressed, he was able to explain everything in a really easy-to-understand way. His enthusiasm really shines through, and he delivered the course with the right amount of humour and made space (pardon the pun) for people to ask questions and to feel accepted at whatever level their knowledge was at. I wish I’d had teachers like him at school as I definitely would’ve paid more attention.
Course taker autumn 2022
Find other courses you may be interested in
We offer a wide range of adult courses related to astronomy, from short six-week introductory sessions through one-year intermediate courses, to modular two-year advanced courses.
Introduction to Astronomy Online
Learn the basics of astronomy at the home of time and space in this online course
Intermediate Astronomy
Acquire a rigorous scientific understanding of the Universe with the Royal Observatory Greenwich
Introduction to Astrophotography
Learn how to take images of the night sky in Royal Observatory Greenwich's online introductory astrophotography course
Introduction to Astrophysics
Explore topics at the cutting edge of scientific research and the limits of human knowledge
Check out the full public astronomy programme
Learn about our programme of events, including daytime observing sessions, talks, community astronomy shows, film screenings, astronomy courses and more
Main image courtesy of GSFC / NASA