Skip to main content

Proud to be part of LJMU,
in partnership with the Dill Faulkes Educational Trust

 

Schools' Observatory Logo

The Schools' Observatory News

December 2024

Our New Website is Live – We Hope You Love It!

It’s been a month since our new website launched on 7th November, and we hope you’ve had a chance to explore it. With its modern design and simpler navigation, we’ve aimed to make accessing our resources and tools as seamless as possible.

We’d really like to hear your thoughts—what’s working well, and where could we make improvements? Your feedback will help us ensure the website continues to meet your needs. If you’ve not had a look yet, do log in and explore. From the refreshed Learn and Educator sections to the expanded Go Observing platform, there’s plenty to discover.

Thank you for being part of this exciting step forward for The Schools’ Observatory. We’re looking forward to hearing what you think!

Live Observing Sessions Now Available!

Just a quick reminder for our registered educators—you can now book live observing sessions through the Real-Time Interface with the Faulkes Telescopes, covering both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. While support for these sessions is still ramping up, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Your feedback will help us refine the experience and ensure it meets your needs. 

International educators now have the same telescope access as UK and Ireland counterparts, which means Go Observing will look a little different, with many more observing options opening up.

Winter Shutdown Notice

As we approach the festive season, we’d like to let you know that The Schools’ Observatory will be on winter shutdown from 20th December to 6th January. During this time, the website will remain fully operational, so you can still explore resources and make observations. However, staff support will not be available until we return in January. 

If you have any feedback on our new website or live observing sessions, we’d love to hear from you! Please email us at SchoolsObs@ljmu.ac.uk, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

Thank you for your understanding, and we wish you a wonderful winter break!

Wishing You a Wonderful Holiday Season!

As the year draws to a close, we’d like to take a moment to thank you for being part of The Schools’ Observatory community. 

Your enthusiasm and dedication to inspiring young minds have made 2024 truly special. 

We wish you a joyful and restful holiday season and a bright start to 2025. Here’s to another year of discovery, curiosity, and exploring the wonders of the Universe together! 

Happy holidays and a Wonderful New Year! 

The Schools' Observatory Team

Alison, Andy, Chris, Emma, Georgia, Soli and Stacey

Look to the Sky!

Plan your stargazing adventures with our December and January astronomy calendars! Download them to display at home or in the classroom. Get ready for exciting months of celestial events, including meteor showers and conjunctions between the Moon and some of the Solar System’s most impressive planets. Don’t miss out on what the night sky has to offer!

Download and display December's astronomy calendar

Image of February's Astro Calendar

Download and display January's astronomy calendar at home or in your classroom!

Image of February's Astro Calendar

LJMU Logo Blue Proud.png