Mills Observatory to hold Special 90th Anniversary Event

From 9pm-12am tonight, Mills Observatory, located at the summit of Balgay hill, will be open to the public for a special event called Summer Stars at Mills Observatory.

The event is significant as it will precede the proper reopening of the observatory on October 1st for the 2024/26 winter season.

Mills has also launched a new free online booking system to reduce waiting periods for visitors, marking the first time the establishment has offered free in-advance bookings online.

The observatory will be continuing with their regular presentations and talks, on two days across each month from October to March, with tickets for Adults being £3.00, and £1.50 for children.

Details of the event can be found via Leisure and Culture Dundee website; which also takes note of the awe-inspiring sights that viewers in attendance will be able to see:

“Weather permitting, you’ll have the chance to view Saturn, Neptune (the furthest planet from the Sun!), and the stunning Summer Triangle – made up of the bright stars Vega, Altair, and Deneb.”

This event, along with the showings from October onwards will attract audiences just as large as last year, which saw over 14,000 attend from October to March 2024, their most successful season in history which concluded on March 29th with the partial solar eclipse.

Outside of being popular with locals, the landmark is also known for being visited by a few significant figures across it’s 90 year history.

Opened in 1935 by John Mills, its the first observatory built for public use in the UK.

Notable figures who have been to the landmark include David Scott, Commander of the Apollo 15 moon landing in 1971, and Sir Patrick Moore, a well known amateur astronomer, writer and researcher.

The establishment is surrounded by Balgay park, a beautiful and scenic area which includes; a bridge, a Victorian style cemetery with expertly crafted monuments, and various small animal species.

For students coming back to Dundee as the term starts, or even for freshers who are new to Dundee, the event should be a vibrant and breath-taking yet calming event.

It is a unique must see event.