PEEBLES residents could soon be able to explore the wonders of the solar system as part of a new initiative.

The Tweeddale Astronomy Society is looking to raise its profile by offering free sky-gazing sessions on Tweed Green.

Under the plans, club members would set up a small number of portable telescopes from around 6pm to 9pm on clear nights between now and the new year.

A report filed with the town’s Common Good Fund sub committee continues: “We would then engage with anyone who happens to pass by.

“For example, at present we are able to show the moons of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn, the Andromeda Galaxy, craters on our own moon and a few other star clusters and bright astronomical objects, even in the presence of street lights.”

The society meets monthly in the Tontine Hotel and has a number of telescopes and an observing platform at Kailzie Gardens. It is thought that one of the large telescopes was partly funded by the Common Good Fund.

The report adds: “Anyone interested in exploring further with our larger telescopes and darker skies at Kailzie will be invited to find out more from the society’s website and come along to our observing sessions.

“The telescopes are all manually operated, or battery powered, so do not involve trailing cables or high voltages and the light levels on the Green are high enough the people will be able to see around them to avoid obstacles.

“We are not a commercial organisation, in fact the society is a registered charity, and would not seek to charge anyone for looking through our telescopes, it’s purely a pro bono activity to engage with interested people.”

No objections to the plans were raised by members of the sub committee at Wednesday’s meeting.