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Herschel Museum of AstronomyHerschel Museum of Astromomy
Museum closed for filming of a period costume drama on Tuesday 19, Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 November. Also closed for Christmas decorating between Monday 25 and Friday 29 November. We apologise for any inconvenience or disappointment caused.

Visiting The Herschel Museum of Astronomy

Visit the house where William Herschel, using a telescope of his own design, discovered the planet Uranus in 1781. His observations helped to double the known size of the solar system. Following a tradition of the great astronomers of the Renaissance he pushed forward the science of building telescopes. He was rewarded for his work by King George III.

Opening Times

11th February to 31st December (Tuesday to Sunday)

10am to 5pm, last entry 4pm.

Closed between 1pm to 2pm on Weekends

ADMISSION PRICES on ‘Visiting the Museum’ link below

What’s On
Learning and Engagement
Visiting The Museum

New this year

We are thrilled to launch a new guide on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and cultural app created by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Along with our sister museum No.1 Royal Crescent, we are currently one of the only museums in Bath to offer guides on the app. The Bloomberg Connects app, available for download from Google Play or the App Store, makes our museum accessible for onsite visits through photo, audio and video features. We also have devices that visitors can borrow to access these new guides.

The guide also includes sections just for children so that they can engage with the museums independently.

Whether you are in the museum or sitting at home, you can explore the collections and engage with our stories.

View the Herschel Museum guide here before you visit!

Giving Caroline Herschel her Voice Back

We are thrilled to reveal the successful acquisition of a handwritten draft of Caroline Herschel’s memoirs. The manuscript will be on display in 2023 here at the Herschel Museum, which was also Caroline’s former home in Bath. We are hugely grateful to our various public and private funders, including the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF), ACE/V&A Purchase Grant Fund and the Friends of National Libraries, facilitated via Christie’s Private Sales.

Read More

Herschel 200

Last year, we commemorated 200 years since the death of William Herschel with a programme of special exhibitions and events.

Find out about Herschel 200

Conservation In Action

Conservation in Action is a campaign that our parent charity Bath Preservation Trust is running throughout 2023, aimed at raising awareness of exactly what conservation entails, and why it can be necessary in a range of different contexts. This spans from protecting historic fabrics and artefacts from insects and other destructive elements at No.1 Royal Crescent, to examining the impact of light pollution on our night skies at the Herschel Museum of Astronomy, to advocating for the sustainable conservation and enhancement of the city’s architecture at Bath Preservation Trust.

We will be running conservation-related talks and events throughout the year, which will be listed on our Events page.

Extra Resources

Caroline’s Almanac: Seasonal Guides to the Night Sky

Ever wondered when the best times of year are to see ice clouds, meteor showers, constellations, planets and deep space objects in the night sky? With the help of Bath Astronomers, we’ve created four seasonal guides to show you the most exciting things to look for at different times of the year:

Walking Maps

As part of our Herschel 200 project in 2022, we collaborated on two new Herschel-themed walking maps. Our first new walking map, of Bath, allows you to follow the Herschels’ footsteps around the city, taking in the sites of where the musical and astronomical family of Herschels lived and performed in Bath.

We also worked with the Herschel Society to launch a second downloadable map, for anyone looking to visit UK locations connected to William Herschel. William spent part of his life in Bath, but not all; take a look at this map to see some of the other places that William travelled, worked and lived.

3D Telescope

Bath Spa University Creative Computing Students created a phenomenal interactive 3D model of William Herschel’s telescope! Take a look and click around here.

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