Astronomia is a shop in Dorking, Surrey, with a simple aim: to bring expert advice and quality telescopes together so that astronomers from the complete beginner to the seasoned observer have a dedicated supplier with the knowledge required to get the very best out of astronomy.

Astronomia has had a cracking 18 months since opening in April 2008. We have become authorised dealers for Meade, Celestron, Sky-Watcher, Vixen, Orion Optics UK and AstroTrac - and that's just the telescopes! Our exciting new Vixen dealership places us as one of only two UK Demonstration Centres. We are also proud to be associated with Ian King Imaging - with whom we stock William Optics telescopes and have access to a wide range of specialist astrophotography kit. With the emphasis on getting the best out of astronomy, we also have a well-stocked bookshop with a great range of astronomy titles, again from the basic to the very advanced.

We are enjoying great relationships with local astronomical societies too - see our 'Friends' page for links.

About the Owner The owner, Neil Phillipson, is passionate about all things space-related. His academic background culminated in a Masters Degree in Physics with Space Science and Systems, at the University of Kent at Canterbury. He has spent the last ten years in charge of a Surrey IT company, Phillipson Kennedy Consulting Limited, which he started while still studying, but having always vowed to get 'back into space' (as it were), he seized the opportunity to open Astronomia last year and is very much enjoying using all the astronomical knowledge that has been festering in the back of his mind. Neil is always on hand at the shop, with help from three more enthusiasts - Matt Lawes, Adele Horton and Martin Melesi. Neil's own equipment includes a Meade LX90 GPS (his 'baby'), a Vixen VMC110L (for holidays), a Sky-Watcher Equinox 66 APO (for the car) and a trusty pair of Hawke Frontier ED Binoculars (10x50). For astrophotography, he uses a Nikon D80 on an AstroTrac TT320x.