The Museum’s collection provides a fascinating context through which to explore the relationship between science and religion, from the 16th-century debate over Copernicus’s new heliocentric model of the solar system and Galileo’s conflict with the Church of Rome, to controversies surrounding 18th-century Newtonianism and debates over natural theology. The Museum also has a fine collection of early Islamic instruments used for religious as well as scientific purposes, including astrolabes and Quibla indicators, as well as an extensive collection of objects relating to astronomy and time-keeping.
Taught sessions for secondary and post-16 are normally available on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Sessions vary in length between one and two hours, and normally accommodate between 20–30 students depending on the session.
