International Observe the Moon Night – Old Royal Naval College - Saturday 4 October 2025

Our latest outreach event took place on Saturday 4 October, as part of the global International Observe the Moon Night celebrations. We were invited to support a special evening at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich with a spot of “moongazing” to complement a poetry performance indoors.

Scopes set up at the start of the evening, waiting for our attendees. Picture by Mike Meynell.

The decision to make the event free of charge certainly helped boost numbers, and we estimate that around 200 people attended, with another 50 or so passers-by stopping to look through our telescopes on the lawns. All in all, about 250 people took the opportunity to enjoy some lunar observing during the evening.

Big crowds gather around Mark's scope during the poetry reading interval. Pictures by Mark Seaton

The Moon, a bright waxing gibbous, was of course the main attraction. One of the most noticeable features was the crater Aristarchus, which looked particularly good thanks to the angle of the sunlight across its interior. One side of the crater wall was brightly illuminated, while the opposite side lay in deep shadow, cast by the wall itself – showing how the changing angle of sunlight highlights the shape of the lunar surface near the terminator.

Image of the Moon, with the bright crater Aristarchus clearly visible near the terminator in the north-west. Picture by Richard Summerfield.

Once we’d worked through the first wave of attendees during the poetry interval, attention turned briefly away from the Moon and towards Saturn, which, as always, drew plenty of excited reactions. Three of Saturn’s moons – Titan, Rhea and Dione – were visible, with Dione proving a tricky but rewarding challenge for those determined enough to spot it.

Some of the reactions from the public summed up the evening perfectly. A young girl, probably no more than 11 or 12, gasped a loud “OMG!” when she saw Saturn for the first time and then managed to track down all three moons herself. A little later, one visitor described the view as “so cute” – an odd choice of words for a gas giant nearly a billion miles away, but it shows how seeing Saturn can catch people by surprise! Among the more unexpected moments of the evening was a visit from someone who introduced herself as a witch – proof, if nothing else, that our events attract a very broad audience!

The Moon, Saturn and a satellite trail over Greenwich Park. Picture by Tim Rickard.

Conditions turned out to be very favourable. A gusty breeze helped shift clouds out of the way at just the right moments, and the lunar views were consistently sharp throughout the evening. Tej deserves a special mention for his commitment to the cause – having arrived on site without his power cable, he heroically dashed home and back again by cab to retrieve it.

We were joined during the evening by Josh, Gideon and Patricia from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, who spent time chatting with visitors and answering questions alongside us. Jake also joined towards the end of the night to help round things off. Their support was much appreciated and added to the overall experience for the public.

We wrapped up at 9.30pm, coinciding with the end of the poetry performances, after a thoroughly enjoyable evening of lunar observing, planet-spotting and public engagement.

A huge thank you to Mark, Paul, Richard, Tej and Tim, who – along with myself – brought along a fantastic range of equipment for visitors to enjoy. We had lots of great feedback, plenty of “wows”, and both the Royal Observatory Greenwich and Old Royal Naval College staff were delighted with the response.

Pictures from the evening (by Mark Seaton, Mike Meynell, Richard Summerfield and Tim Rickard):