On Wednesday 3rd December 2024, the Herschel Observatory was officially opened at Prior Park College, Bath.
The ceremony was undertaken by The Right Worshipful The Mayor of Bath Michelle O’Doherty, Dr Allan Chapman, University of Oxford, and Ben Horan, Head of Prior Park College.
The Observatory is 2.7m in diameter and contains a 10” Meade LX200. As the observatory is located on the edge of a cricket pitch, it has its own movable cage and net to avoid it being a target for ambitious batsmen.
The address is Prior Park College, Ralph Allen Drive, Bath BA2 5AH. The What3Words location is https://w3w.co/stray.stared.causes
There are 6 parking spaces beside the Herschel Observatory. Further parking is available at The Butts car park. Both are accessed via the main college entrance from Ralph Allen Drive and around the one-way system on the lower road, through The Butts and on to the higher road next to the Observatory. The Herschel Observatory is periodically open to the public for events run by Bath Astronomers.