Norman Lockyer Observatory

The Norman Lockyer Observatory, the Lockyer Technology Center, and the Planetarium, is a free optical observatory in Sidmouth, East Devon on the Jurassic Coast of South West England. It was established in 1912. The observatory houses ious authentic optical telescopes, including the Lockyer Telescope, and is worked by Norman Lockyer Observatory Society NLOS. The Norman Lockyer Observatory, ‘Lockyer Technology Center' and Planetarium are situated close to a south-bound bluff one mile east of the beach front town of Sidmouth, Devon.

The observatory was established by Joseph Norman Lockyer in 1912 when he resigned to Sidmouth following the conclusion of the South Kensington Observatory, of which Lockyer was Director. Originally known as Hill Observatory, the observatory was renamed Norman Lockyer Observatory after his demise in 1920. Lady Lockyer took a solid enthusiasm for the observatory and made blessings to it. She was chosen to the Royal Astronomical Society in 1923. The observatory is staffed by volunteers, and consistently open to the public on distributed evenings and nights.