Our facilities

We are home to world-class research, computation and engineering facilities:

The University Observatory

We run the Observatory in Manor Road, Oadby. With a 20 inch telescope it is one of the UK's largest and most advanced astronomical teaching facilities. The Observatory is open to all undergraduate students and is used for student research projects. Please contact our Observatory Manager Dipali Thanki for details of accessing the observatory.

Mechanical Workshop

The role of the workshop is to provide technical support to staff and students engaged in research programmes in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. We machine mechanical components to very high specification using conventional machining methods along side the latest in CAD/CAM technology. We also have welding facilities which allows us to fabricate many different components including ultra high vacuum vessels (UHV).

High Performance Computing

We are home to the University's ALICE 2048 core supercomputer, and are a member of the UK's Distributed Research utilising Advanced Computing (DiRAC) consortium. DiRAC is the integrated supercomputing facility for theoretical modelling and HPC-based research in particle physics, astronomy and cosmology. We host the complexity node of DiRAC (4000+ cores).

Space Park Leicester

Space Park Leicester is an ambitious initiative that is developing a global hub and collaborative community for businesses, researchers and academia based on space and space-enabled technologies. Offering high-tech facilities and capabilities, it offers a brand new hub for the analysis and commercialisation of space-enabled data and space mission development.