Doors Open Days is always one of the highlights of the year at UK ATC. The last weekend of September we throw open the gates at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh (ROE) to share all of the amazing work we do with the public.

Despite some drizzle there was already a long queue of people waiting to get in at 10am on Saturday. Thankfully the weather improved after that, bringing dry and sunny spells for most of the weekend.

This year we welcomed over 2,700 people to the site across over the two days. They enjoyed a variety of activities, including tours, demonstrations, crafts and our ever-popular LEGO kits (this year's model was A-DOT).

Doors Open Days 2024 was a fantastic opportunity to engage with the public on astronomy, engineering and science. Experts were on hand to talk about our role on the James Webb Space Telescope, SKAO, LISA, the Extremely Large Telescope, Gaia​, Euclid and many more exciting astronomy projects.

The feedback from the public was overwhelmingly positive, with over 95% saying they really enjoyed (83.4%) or enjoyed (12.3%) the event.

We had some wonderful feedback from visitors:

“I really loved the books in the library. I liked all of it! It was awesome! When I grow up I want to be an astronomer and inspire young people to make their dreams come true." (Elodie, 8)

“I loved everything I saw. I love this place. I love science. I want to come back!" (Maisie, 5)

“Thank you very much for taking the time to organise and run an amazing event. I brought two 12-year-olds who had a great time. I did too!" (N, 46).

This year's event was also the last headed by UK ATC Director and ROE Head of Site Professor Gillian Wright CBE before she steps down from the role. “Welcoming the public to the Royal Observatory is one of the highlights of every year. So, I'm very pleased I got to oversee one last Doors Open Days during my final weeks in the role of Director at UK ATC. It's been fantastic to watch the event grow over the years, giving people a real insight into the science and engineering taking place on site and the amazing research it makes possible." 

Finally, a big thank you to everyone involved. An incredible team of volunteers come together from across UK ATC, The University of Edinburgh's Institute for Astronomy, STFC, the Higgs Centre for Innovation and the Astronomy Society of Edinburgh. Without their time, commitment and enthusiasm, it just wouldn't be possible.

Abi Ashton and Cassandra Mercury lead the Doors Open Days event at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh.