About Us The idea of having a place in Dumfries & Galloway where anyone can stay to learn Astronomy was turned into reality by Mike & Helen Alexander through 2003. With a working title “2000 Acres of Dark Sky” it was officially named the Galloway Astronomy Centre once a suitable location had been found. We welcomed the first visitors in February 2004. Initially, we concentrated on giving our guests a tour of the night sky and offering advice on buying binoculars and telescopes, but soon afterwards we developed several courses mainly tailored for the beginner. The next logical step from just giving advice on telescopes was to sell them too. We have worked with Optical Vision Ltd for many years selling their wide range of Skywatcher telescopes and accessories. A few years ago we were approached by Celestron in the UK to be an astronomy specialist and sell their products. The awarding of the Galloway Forest as the UK’s first Dark Sky Park certainly put Galloway on the Astronomical map and as the only observatory open to the public in Dumfries & Galloway greatly increased our profile. Now we regularly welcome visitors not only from across the UK, but around the world too, each looking to experience the beauty of a Galloway night sky. Our visitors are able to enjoy the unique opportunity of being guided through the wonders of night sky at an observatory and have a warm bed just a short distance away. All at one of the darkest locations within the UK. Our trusty 16” Newtonian reflector still remains our main instrument used during the tours, although we had added other telescopes for astro-imaging and as demonstration models. Whenever possible our night sky tours are tailor made to meet your level of experience and interests. So like many others over the past 19 years, come and experience for yourself our friendly, informal hospitality and truly wonderful dark skies.