One night a year, people all over the world go outside and look at the same thing at the same time. Torbay Astronomical Society is joining in, and you're invited. No experience needed. No telescope needed. Just turn up.

The Details

Date: Saturday 19 September 2026
Time: 19:30 — please arrive on time, the Moon sets early
Where: Torquay Boys' Grammar School, Shiphay Manor Drive, Torquay TQ2 7EL
Cost: £0
Who: Absolutely everyone. Families welcome; children must be accompanied.
Parking: Free, on site

What is International Observe the Moon Night?

It's a worldwide public event run by NASA, held each year on a night when the Moon is near first quarter — the phase astronomers actually prefer over a full Moon.

That sounds backwards, but it isn't. A full Moon is lit face-on, so it's flat, glaring and shadowless. Near first quarter, sunlight strikes the surface at a low angle along the terminator — the line dividing lunar day from night — and every crater rim and mountain range throws a long black shadow. The Moon stops looking like a flat disc and starts looking like a world.

Hundreds of thousands of people in over a hundred countries take part each year. On 19 September, some of them will be in Torquay.

Please note: the Moon is low in the south all evening and drops fast after 21:00. If you can only come for part of the night, come for the first part. Once the Moon is down, the sky is properly dark — so if conditions are good we'll turn to other targets before packing up.

Finding us

Go through the main gates of Torquay Boys' Grammar School and follow the drive all the way down to the bottom, to the car park by Shiphay Manor House. Look for the path in front of the double green gates; You should see some glow in the dark yellow signs, follow those to  The Observatory.

Parking is free. Full directions and a map are on our Find Us page.

If it's cloudy

This one depends entirely on the weather — if the sky is clouded over, we'll cancel. Please check this page before you set off. We'll post our decision here as soon as we've made it. If we do have to call it off, don't write the Moon off with it: the following evening is nearly as good, and it's worth a look from your own back garden. Our Programme has the rest of the season's meetings, and you'd be very welcome at any of them.