Welcome to
Croydon Astronomical Society

Learn all about us; our history and what we do.

Croydon Astronomical Society. Part 1. History and Background.

Croydon Astronomical Society. Part 2. A Visit to the Norman Fisher Observatory.

One thing near Whyteleafe Station - The observatory on a farm.

Why we're here

Our objectives are to advance education in the science of astronomy and related subjects for the public benefit in Croydon and the surrounding area by:

encouraging a popular interest in astronomy and allied subjects;
helping beginners, irrespective of their age, to acquire a knowledge of astronomy and allied subjects; and
providing facilities for practical work and active participation in astronomical observation.

Croydon Astronomical Society is based in Croydon, just a few miles south of London. We hold public talks approximately every two weeks during school term time and aim to open our observatory to the public every Saturday evening. The society was founded in 1956 and operates through the donation of time from its members and donations of money from its members and visitors. If astronomy is your thing, please consider joining us as a member.

Sat November 8th. Observatory OPEN.
7pm to 10pm.

Every forecast says clear (or mostly clear) so we are able to announce earlier than usual that we will be open!

The comet is now too low and faint to see, but the Moon and Saturn will be with us at 7pm and joined by Jupiter at 9pm.

Saturn's rings are very thin to view this month and one of Jupiter's moon (Europa) will be in transit across the face of Jupiter and we will try to see that although it will be very subtle!

General things to be aware of if visiting in future:

Please note there is NO PARKING on Waterhouse lane. Please park on Hayes lane, by the war memorial. Keep the Waterhouse lane entrance clear for residents to safely enter and exit. If you drive into Waterhouse lane you are likely to get stuck!

Waterhouse lane to the observatory is dark and can be uneven and sometimes muddy under foot. See our website for directions - we are not easy to find. https://www.croydonastro.org.uk/observatory
Bring a torch by all means for the lane, but keep it pointed down and turn it off at the observatory please. We have red lights so you can navigate the site well in the dark.

There are no toilets.

It will be colder than you think!

Click here for more information

Public talks

The Society holds public talks, see the Talks tab for further details. The next talk is on Friday 7th November where William Bottaci will explain the creation of matter in the Universe in his talk "Nucleosynthesis, the early years"

Highly recommended!

Please see our Talks page for more details.

This talk will be held in the Small Hall of Shirley Methodist Church. From now on we will meet on the first and third Fridays of each month.

Talks are open to all, there is no charge, but we have a suggested donation of £3 towards society funds. Refreshments priced at 50p are available during the break.

Shirley Methodist is within walking distance of Trinity School and is easily accessible by bus from East Croydon. The postcode is CR0 8SD. There is parking on site but, if it is full, there is ample parking on nearby roads.

Click here for more information about our talks