Dundee Culture to launch weekly weather tracker for Mills Observatory
Dundee Culture is launching a brand-new weekly weather tracker for Mills Observatory as the iconic Dundee attraction prepares to begin its 91st observing season.
Starting from 27 September, Dundee Culture will provide weekly forecasts throughout the 2026/27 season, helping Dundonians identify the nights which currently offer the most promising conditions for stargazing from Balgay Hill.
The new feature follows a challenging 90th anniversary season for the observatory, which was repeatedly affected by poor weather and cloudy skies.
While thousands of people continued to visit Mills throughout its landmark anniversary year, unpredictable conditions often made observations through the telescope difficult.
The weekly tracker aims to make planning a visit a little easier.
Published every Sunday on the day that Mills is closed to the public, Dundee Culture will look ahead to conditions across the coming week, focusing particularly on cloud cover and the likelihood of clear skies during the observatory’s Monday to Saturday opening days.
Each night will receive a simple stargazing outlook, with the tracker highlighting the most promising opportunities for clearer skies during the week ahead.
Forecasts will be shared across Dundee Culture’s socials, including Stories, alongside the Dundee Culture website. Updates may also be issued during the week if conditions change significantly.
As with all weather forecasting, conditions can change quickly and the tracker will only reflect information available at the time of publication.
It will not indicate whether telescope observations are guaranteed to take place, with visitors encouraged to check official Mills Observatory information before travelling.
The tracker will form part of Dundee Culture’s continued promotion of Mills Observatory as it enters its 91st season.
The observatory celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2025, following a remarkable period which saw visitor numbers reach record levels after its future had previously been placed under threat.
Dundee Culture has extensively promoted Mills since 2024, helping encourage more people to discover the observatory and supporting efforts to maintain its place as one of Dundee’s most distinctive cultural attractions.
Alongside the weekly weather tracker, Dundee Culture will continue to highlight Mills Observatory, astronomical events visible from Dundee and opportunities for people across the city to look up and discover the night sky.
The first Dundee Culture Mills Observatory weather tracker will be published on Sunday 27 September, coinciding with the beginning of Season 91.
Season 91 begins on 1 October 2026.
