Amateur Astronomy For Beginners

Please note that this course is now sold out.

A perfect course for those looking to turn astronomy into a hobby.

This course provides information on everything from how to choose and use telescopes, to identifying targets and planning observing activities. 

While the course may be studied independently without prior knowledge, it is an ideal follow-on course for those who have attended Introduction to Astronomy.

The course will have a strong focus on developing a solid observational understanding of the night sky and how it changes throughout the year, but will also cover setting up and aligning telescopes, how to choose observing locations and plan observing sessions, amateur contribution to scientific research and a brief introduction to astronomy photography (for those looking for a more in depth photography course, consider our Introduction to Astrophotography course).

Those attending the course should ideally have access to a telescope when away from the Royal Observatory, enabling them to put what they have learned in class into practice in their own time, though it is not required.

This course will run twice in the 2023/24 academic year on consecutive Tuesday evenings:

• 31st October - 5th December 2023
• 20th February - 26th March 2024

Note: Each course is intended to be run on-site at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, but will transfer to an online course run via Zoom in the case of Covid restrictions. Please only book if you are certain you will be able to attend an on-site course.

Everyone taking a course at the Royal Observatory is entitled to a 10% discount for books purchased from Royal Museums Greenwich - please check with your course tutor for more details!

Age: 16+