2009's Royal Observatory Edinburgh's Open Days will take place on the 26th and 27th September, with a theme of Cool Astronomy.

The Royal Observatory Edinburgh combines state-of-the-art high-tech facilities and original Victorian observatory buildings in a beautiful hilltop site overlooking the city. On site we design, build and use some of the best telescopes in the world. Catch talks, demonstrations and exhibits, and go behind the scenes at one of the UK’s leading scientific establishments to discover how we contribute to astronomy at every stage in the process, from designing a new telescope to using and storing the data produced.

The site will be open from 10am till 5pm on both the Saturday and Sunday; the Open Days are completely free, and require no booking.