We come to you
A telescope evening in your garden — or at your event.
Birthdays, weddings, garden parties or simply a night at home with the family: I bring the 12-inch telescope and everything it needs, set it up where you are, and show you and your guests the Moon, the planets and the night sky.
Anywhere in Surrey, Berkshire, Hampshire and West Sussex — Windsor and the rest of Berkshire included.
Price
The same evening, at your address.
Per person
£50
per adult · £30 for children under 16. Minimum 3 people (£150).
Travel
+£50
anywhere in Surrey · +£100 for Berkshire, Hampshire and West Sussex.
Larger groups
The more of you, the less each pays.
For a big party, a school or a club there are substantial discounts. Just ask.
For example
Four adults in a garden in Godalming: 4 × £50 + £50 travel = £250. Two adults and two children in Windsor: 2 × £50 + 2 × £30 + £100 travel = £260.
Payment
Nothing is paid in advance. As with every evening, the final go-ahead is given on the day, a few hours before the start, once we know what the sky will do.
One exception: if I have already driven out and the sky suddenly closes in on arrival, only the travel charge is due (£50 or £100). I watch the forecast right up to the moment I leave, so that this hardly ever happens.
Occasions
What people book it for.
Birthdays
For a child who loves space, or a grown-up who has everything. The telescope becomes the centre of the party once it gets dark.
Weddings & anniversaries
A quiet moment away from the dance floor: the Moon or Saturn for the two of you and your guests. Remember that in summer it gets dark late.
Garden parties
Friends, neighbours, a barbecue that runs into the evening — and a sky that most of them have never looked at properly.
A family evening at home
No travelling, no cold car park: step out of your own back door to the telescope, and back in for a hot drink.
Schools, clubs and groups
Cubs, Scouts, Guides, school astronomy clubs, a village hall or a camp site.
Holiday lets and venues
A cottage, a farm venue or a glamping site in the Surrey Hills with a dark sky and an open view.
Your place, your sky
What the spot needs.
You choose the place, and the place decides a lot of the evening. I can't move a tree or switch off a neighbour's floodlight, so please look at your spot with these in mind:
- A wide view of the sky, above all in the direction where the things you want to see will be (see "What will you see from your garden?"). Trees and houses hide the lower sky.
- Darkness. Garden lights, motion-sensor lamps and bright windows off for the evening; street lights and sky glow are what they are.
- As little wind as possible — a sheltered corner is better than an open hilltop on a breezy night.
- Firm, level ground of about 3 × 3 metres, and a car able to park close by: the telescope and its mount are heavy.
- No mains socket needed. The telescope runs on batteries, or from the car's 12-volt socket if the car can drive right up to the spot.
- Something to stand on for small children — a sturdy step or chair, so they can reach the eyepiece.
- Permission of the venue or landowner, if it isn't your own garden.
- Your guests' safety in the dark — steps, ponds, uneven lawns — is the host's responsibility, as at any evening party.
What will you see from your garden?
Open our sky map and set your date and time. It is drawn for Newlands Corner, but everywhere in our area the sky is practically the same — only the trees and houses around you are different.
Note where the Moon or the planets will be (south-east, south, west…) and how high. Then stand in your garden with a phone compass and look that way: if a house or a tree fills that part of the sky, they will be hidden; anything less than about 20° up (two fists at arm's length) is easily lost behind hedges and roofs.
The sky tonight page lists the same in words. And if in doubt, just write to me with a photo of the garden and which way it faces — I'll check it for you and say honestly what we can expect to see.
Timing and weather
When the sky is ready.
The telescope comes into its own once it is dark: roughly from 5 pm in December, 8 pm around March and September and after 10:30 pm in June. The Moon and the bright planets show earlier, in twilight — handy for children's parties. I arrive at dusk and set up while there is still a little light.
The evening lasts 3 hours as standard, and longer when the sky is generous, at no extra charge. What is up depends on the date: the sky tonight page works it out for every evening.
Clouds are the one thing nobody can book. I follow the forecast until the last moment before setting off; if the night looks poor, we move it to another date or cancel, free of charge. Should the sky close in after I have arrived, only the travel charge is due.
An event with a fixed date — a wedding, a big birthday — depends on the weather like everything else outdoors: if the evening is cloudy, we agree together whether to move the telescope part to another night or to cancel it.
Summer evenings are warm until you stand still under a clear sky: please tell your guests to bring a warm layer.
What your guests may see
Photographed through the same telescope.
The Moon
Craters and mountains along the line between day and night.
Saturn
The rings, clearly separated from the planet.
Jupiter
Cloud belts and four large moons.
Galaxies and nebulae through any telescope are faint grey glows, not the colourful pictures you may have seen — the Saturn, Jupiter & Moon page explains honestly what the eye really sees.
Get in touch
Tell me about your evening.
The date, the place (town or postcode is enough to start with), how many guests, and the occasion. I'll reply personally, usually within a day.
or call / text +44 7404 933156 Alex