Sherwood Observatory: Exact date Ashfield's £6.5m planetarium will open to offer stunning stargazing experience

Works on a major £6.5m project to add a planetarium to the Sherwood Observatory are nearing completion ahead of an opening in November.

If all goes to schedule from November 25th visitors will be able to experience a stunning journey through the stars at the new facility, reportedly the first new planetarium in the UK for over a decade. 

Work began after Ashfield District Council, in which the existing Sherwood Observatory lies, approved the final plans in March last year.

The project, led jointly by Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society and Ashfield District Council, has involved the redevelopment of a former underground Victorian reservoir on Coxmoor Road in Sutton-in-Ashfield. It has been partly funded by £3.1 million of Levelling Up Fund money.

Dr Steve Wallace, chairman of the Sherwood Observatory and project manager on the planetarium works, said: “We’ve been on a long journey and it’s really great to see it coming together now. We’re really excited about it.

“It’s very rare nationally to have a planetarium and an active observatory together in one place.” 

The old reservoir building is being converted to include a new exhibition space on the ground floor and the planetarium which is being built on top.

Visitors to the new planetarium and exhibition space will be able to experience spectacular space shows in a 59-seater dome with a 10m 4K screen. Anyone wishing to visit will need to book in advance.

The space has been fitted out with digital planetarium software produced by French firm RSA Cosmos. The firm provides a range of content, including self-generated and customisable shows which the Sherwood Observatory will be able to design for itself. 

Schools are also being encouraged to organise educational trips to the centre, which will host special sessions in the STEM subjects, science, technology, engineering and maths.

The Sherwood Observatory opened in 1986, and is managed and maintained by volunteers at the Mansfield & Sutton Astronomical Society.

The prized possession of the society is the hand-built 24 inch Newtonian Reflecting Telescope, which affords stunning views of the Nottinghamshire night skies.

The centre runs school trips, group visits, astronomy courses, and one-off events throughout the year.

https://sherwood-observatory.org.uk