Doors Opened to 4,000 people at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh

28 Sep 2016 04:17 PM

Nearly 4000 people explored exciting science and engineering at one of the UK’s iconic sights, the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh.

On the 24 and 25 September, as part of the city-wide ‘Doors Open Day’, visitors of all ages arrived to explore the furthest reaches of the galaxy using virtual reality goggles, to see how a comet is made, and even touch meteorite fragments which are older than the Earth.

The weekend saw staff welcome people who live nearby but also some who had travelled miles into the city for the open days.

Children were inspired by the science as they got to grips with building model Lego SKA telescopes, seeing the world through an infra-red camera, walking to the top of the Victorian Observatory dome and hearing about the history of astronomy in Edinburgh.

Comments received by staff members from members of the public included:

“I want to be an engineer now.”

“He really wants to work here as soon as he is old enough, how soon can he get work experience?”

“There are so many knowledgeable people here – thank you so much for an amazing day”.

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