The winning entry in the STFC Photowalk competition

Experimental lipstick size robots, being developed through the UK's E-ELT instrumentation programme, were the subject of the winning entry in a national photography competition.

School Resources

We have resources to help teachers and students - particularly at early secondary level - be inspired by the E-ELT for science education and other areas of the curriculum. A growing number of astronomy organisations throughout the UK are able to support schools using these resources.

Introduction to The E-ELT

Download: [MP4/29.4 MB] [WMV/25.1 MB]

Deep Space. How did the very first, most distant galaxies form? Are there Earth-like planets around nearby stars? These are two of the big questions to be tackled with the the E-ELT and other big telescopes. The Deep Space resources support group-work by early secondary school students using real research data to develop their understanding of exoplanets and galaxies.

Deep Space Resources

Ingenious: Big Telescopes for Big Questions. This project, funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering, is developing ways for telescope engineers to inspire early secondary school students with the huge engineering challenges of big telescopes.
Activities relating to mini-robots - technology being developed for the EAGLE instrument - and mirror alignment are being developed and piloted with schools in Scotland.
A training programme will be rolled out to enable engineers and teachers across the UK to use the resources.

Training sessions:
October 2011 Rutherford Appleton Laboratory engineers
November 2011 Scottish Borders Physics teachers

Get the Hex! is a dance film in which students at The Royal High School Edinburgh dance with silvery hexagonal umbrellas to portray the giant E-ELT mirror, galaxies and exoplanets.

Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition

The E-ELT exhibit at the Royal Society Summer Exhibition

Our stand 'Designing a Giant Eye on the Sky' was one of 26 exhibits at the 350th anniversary Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, from the 25th June to the 4th of July 2010. Over 1900 school students and 240 teachers visited the exhibition.

European Southern Observatory for images and animations of the E-ELT.

Please contact us to discuss the options in your area:

Tania Johnston
Royal Observatory Edinburgh Visitor Centre
Tel: 0131 668 8263
E-mail: tania.johnston@stfc.ac.uk