Wynyard Planetarium and Observatory

Welcome to Wynyard Planetarium and Observatory

Latest News

NASA has just released the latest image from the James Webb telescope showing NGC628, a densely populated face-on spiral galaxy anchored by its central region 32 million light-years away in the constellation Pisces.
The image on the left is taken by Hubble and shows the central region, which has a light yellow haze that takes up about a quarter of the view. The core is brightest at the center, washing out light from other objects. Delicate spiral arms start near the center and extend to the edges, rotating counterclockwise. There is more brown dust beginning at the center, but as the arms extend outward, brown dust lanes alternate with diffuse lines of bright blue stars. Throughout the spiral arms, there are bright pink patches of star-forming clusters.
The image on the right is taken by the James Webb telescope and shows the central region has a light blue haze that takes up about a quarter of the view. In this circular core is the brightest blue area. Within the core are populations of older stars, represented by many pinpoints of blue light. Spiny spiral arms made of stars, gas, and dust also start at the center, largely starting in the wider area of the blue haze. The spiral arms extend to the edges, rotating counterclockwise. The spiraling filamentary structure looks somewhat like a cross section of a nautilus shell.

NGC628

Planetarium Events

We run a full programme of events on every other Friday evening and we are open every Tuesday from 7.30pm until 9pm as a drop in event where you can learn a bit more about us, see the facilities and if the skies are clear you can bring your own telescope to use and be given advice on how to get the best out of it, or use one of our telescopes.
Please note pre-booking is essential for all Friday evening events, and you can now book direct from the website, just click Here for details.

We have made some physical changes to the planetarium whilst we have been closed including the installation of some plush new seating and lighting.

Unfortunately due to the very confined nature of the observatory only a small number of visitors will be allowed inside to use the telescope in person. We are also currently installing a camera on the telescope and automating the observatory to allow members of the public to observe through the observatory telescope via video link.

When booking an event we are asking for you help and support to allow future visitors to have an "out of this world experience" by making an additional voluntary donation. By making a donation you will be helping support a facility unique to the Tees Valley for everybody interested in astronomy, physics and technology, as well as those who will become our future STEM professionals.

Thank you.

BFI