Coats Observatory

I made my first visit to the Observatory this evening on the last of their winter viewing nights. Opened in 1883, it was funded by Thomas Coats of the local thread manufacturers whose legacy can be seen all over Paisley. More information here and here.

This rather fine stained glass window features Astronomer Royal William Herschel and is flanked by 19th century globes of earth and sky. A fascinating place well worth a visit.

Fortunately the skies cleared enough for the telescope to be pointed at the moon after the demonstration in the new planetarium. But it was too cloudy to set the telescoped up in the garden to look for comet Pan Starrs.