2025 marks a very special year for one of the city’s most beloved institutions.
Mills Observatory will be turning 90 this year and it’s fought tooth and nail to get to where it is today - and it’s easy to say that it has been anything but a smooth journey.
But to survive and still be operational all these years later is a testament to the dedication of its staff and volunteers, along with some steadfast support from Dundonians and visitors alike.
Amazingly, the observatory was never to materialise. First mooted for the top of Dundee Law, the proposal came from an astronomer, John Mills, who built a private observatory of his own on the slopes of the Law.
Though he bequeathed funds to establish a public observatory, the money was given to University College (now the University of Dundee), but plans for the project stalled when the money was handed back to the town council who had initially received the endowment from John Mills.
By the 1920s, the dream of Mills Observatory had all but been forgotten after plans went back and forth, and as a result of the Great War, the Dundee Law becoming home to the historic war memorial instead.
However, the Great Depression in the 1930s brought renewed interest in public works projects, and the observatory was greenlit as a way to create jobs. Following a fervent campaign, Mills Observatory finally opened its doors on 28 October 1935.
Over the decades, Mills Observatory has played witness to some of humanity's most iconic moments in space exploration-from the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969 to the solar eclipse of 2015 - it has drawn crowds eager to experience the cosmos.
In 2022, the BBC's Sky at Night magazine called it the best public observatory in the UK - and rightly so. Being the only working public observatory in the country that is open during winter months almost everyday apart from Sundays, it offers Dundonians and its visitors a unique chance to explore the night sky.
Its visitors comprises some prominent dignitaries that includes Sir Patrick Moore and David Scott, an Apollo 15 astronaut. Thus the observatory earns a sure place within annals of Astronomy.
The fight for survival
Yet despite such a storied history, Mills Observatory still faced an existential threat as recently as 2024 when Dundee City Council floated its closure on the pretext of saving money.
It was in line to be axed alongside Broughty Castle and Caird Park Golf Course to save £400,000. But out of the three, Mills had relatively low running costs compared with the other two venues.
The public reacted quickly and loudly. A petition to save the observatory garnered 3,000 signatures, and in a surprise move, STAR Dundee, a local space technology firm, pledged £50,000 to support the observatory over five years.
Although the immediate threat of closure was averted, the council announced a consultation on the observatory's future in May 2024, which reignited fears. But this uncertainty brought an unexpected outcome: a surge in public interest.
When it reopened for the 2024/25 season on 1 October, the observatory saw an unprecedented number of visitors in such a short space of time. A staggering 3,000 people visited in its first week, with staff describing the car park and queues as "utter chaos."
The resurgence of Mills reminds myself of decades-old pop songs such as Murder on the Dancefloor by Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush. Both songs, though hitting the market several decades ago, became viral sensations and achieved unprecedented popularity through social media in the decades after it originally released.
Likewise, Mills Observatory saw a resurgence when word of its reopening spread online, drawing everything from first-time visitors to those who hadn't been in decades.
People were leaving comments about how they had waited up to two hours to see the dome. Some said they hadn't been to the observatory in over 30, or even 40 years, while others said they never knew it existed.
At the heart of this renaissance lay social media. Whereas very little promotion of the observatory had been undertaken, the announcement from Dundee Culture of the reopening date received hundreds of thousands of views and receiving over 1,000 likes and reactions across all platforms.
This reinvigorated interest in the Mills Observatory and proved the power of effective communication - especially with the use of social media.
A hopeful future
The observatory's new popularity became a key argument during council debates in November. A consultation revealed that the number of visitors for the 2024/25 season had increased by 127%, which was indicative of people's support.
Late that month, a council vote secured funding for Mills Observatory until 2029, saving it from closure.
This does, however, secure the immediate future of the observatory, but it does not guarantee its long-term survival.
It will need further community engagement, effective promotion, and strategic planning to ensure Mills Observatory celebrates its centenary in 2035 and beyond.
Major events to look forward to
With its 90th anniversary this year and a partial solar eclipse offering 92% visibility in Dundee next year, Mills Observatory has ample opportunity to captivate audiences.
The upcoming anniversary of the Dundee Astronomical Society also presents a chance to deepen community ties and expand programming.
This is a time to celebrate not just the observatory's past but its potential.
Mills Observatory stands as a beacon of Dundee's resilience and ambition, a place where history, science, and community come together to inspire future generations.
Now, more than ever, it needs our support to shine as brightly as the stars it was built to observe.
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