Observatory Science Centre: The Royal Greenwich Observatory (RGO) was founded at Greenwich in London in 1675 by King Charles II but was moved just after the second world war in order to escape the lights and pollution of the city. The site at Herstmonceux was chosen as the most suitable in the UK. By the mid-fifties the observatory was fully operational. The existing telescopes were augmented in 1967 by the giant 98-inch Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) once housed in the silver dome to the south of the main complex.
Herstmonceux was once the home of Greenwich Mean Time, and the pips were sent to the BBC from here. With a mixture of look-and-think exhibits and fully hands-on ones, this exhibition is concerned with various aspects of time and how it is measured.
This exhibition, centered around the large Congo Schmidt telescope, tells the story of the observatory in four parts: The Greenwich Years, The Herstmonceux Years, Researches and Discoveries, and The Telescopes.
The Discovery Park is a Science Playground of large-scale interactive exhibits designed to help visitors explore themes of force, movement and sound, in a way that is always fully 'hands-on', and sometimes 'feet-on' too.
For more information about Observatory Science Centre, please contact , or see event details on the left.
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For a full list of forthcoming events taking place in Sussex, as well as local attractions, days out, theatre, visual arts and sport, visit our what's on Herstmonceux page.
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