Dunsink Lane, Dublin 15, D15 XR2R dunsink@dias.ie

Welcome


Welcome to DIAS Dunsink Observatory operated as part of the Astronomy & Astrophysics Section of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS). Dunsink Observatory has been a centre for astronomical research and public engagement in Ireland since its foundation in 1785, and has been home to many of Ireland’s most famous scientists, including Sir William Rowan Hamilton.  


Public Events

DIAS Dunsink Observatory is open to the public for select events throughout 2023. Since we are a working research institute we are only open to visitors during these special events.

See our Events Calendar for a list of upcoming events. This is updated regularly, keep an eye on our website, social media, or Eventbrite page for announcements. In the meantime our Race to Space Escape Room is also now running regularly throughout the summer!


The Hamilton Way

We launched the Hamilton Greenway campaign as part of Maths Week 2020, a proposed foot and bike route that would link the Observatory, the Tolka Valley Greenway, the Royal Canal Greenway and Ashtown. The route would be transformative for staff and public access to the Observatory.


Astrophysics Research

DIAS Astrophysics includes approximately 35 researchers based at Fitzwilliam Place in central Dublin and at Dunsink Observatory in west Dublin. DIAS Astrophysics undertakes research on solar and stellar physics, space weather, planetary science, star formation, the interstellar medium, high energy astrophysics, and instrumentation. We have contributed to many European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA projects, including Solar Orbiter and the James Webb Space Telescope, and are actively involved in ground-based facilities such as LOFAR and the European Southern Observatory. We collaborate with researchers at universities and research institutes in Ireland and around the world. 

DIAS Dunsink also provides a local weather monitoring service to Met Eireann, tracks meteors as part of the international NEMETODE network, and monitors the Earth’s ionosphere as part of the SuperSID VLF network


Getting Here

Dunsink Observatory is located about 8 km northwest of Dublin city centre, near Ashtown on the Royal Canal and the junction of the N3 and the M50. Further details on our travel page.


Visit us onĀ Mastodon, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.