the great equatorial telescope

Royal Observatory

In 2022 the Great Equatorial Telescope gallery was re-imagined as part of the Royal Observatory's exciting refurbishment programme. With new lighting, new displays and brand new astronomy footage taken using the telescope itself, this pioneering instrument will once again take pride of place in the dome at the Royal Observatory Greenwich.

Beam was delighted to work closely with Royal Museums Greenwich to create a flexible and functional lighting scheme which catered to the multiple ways in which the space is used.

During visiting hours the dome is viewed publicly as a museum space, therefore we designed the lighting to create a visually engaging spectacle of the 28 inch refracting telescope. The dome space has been completely reimagined with coloured LED uplighting for the dome and dramatic spotlighting for the telescope itself. 

While creating a visually engaging space within the dome for visitors, it was equally important to retain full functionality of the space for when the telescope is utilised for scientific image captures and astronomical observations.  With careful consideration of the impact of lighting on observations, we designed a scheme to maximise the use of the telescope when in observation mode.

Our versatile lighting scheme allows the space to be easily transformed with an intuitive control system between custom event lighting, after-dark tours & low-light astronomical lighting modes.