This page details events happening in the sky and the latest news from the observatory.

Sale Terminated

Despite numerous chances given to them, the developer has failed to obtain the money to purchase the observatory site. This is very sad news for us, as we now have to stop work on the new site and it will will pass out of our hands. The bungled purchase has cost us a lot of money, that would have been used for educational and research telescopes.

The developer has also limited our access during the settlement phase and we now have to redress issues affecting our current observatory site. We are very cranky and apologise for all the inconvenience it is causing our prospective guests. We hope to run full tours again once we have have finished all our issues with the developer.

More Test Images (Jan 2012)

Though our telescopes are being prepared to be moved this year, we are still testing some of the capabilities of the systems we will install at the new facility. Therefore on the 12th of January, we imaged the Orion Nebula. It was a very rough set up, but does demonstrate that when set up properly, the imaging system should work very well.

Below, a nice image of Globular Star Cluster NGC 104, taken on the 17th of January. Wind did interfere with the telescope during the exposures, however, the image still is quite good.

As part of the continuing test shots, an image of the Eta Carina Nebula was taken on the 17th. Strong winds buffeted the telescope, and this caused the image to blur somewhat.

Comet Lovejoy (Dec 2011)

See our viewing highlights page for images and information about seeing the comet. The image below was taken at about 2:45am on the 30th of December.

The Soil has Been Turned on the New Site! (Dec 2011)

Work has commenced on the new site. In the meantime, we should be able to run tours again at the old site for a few months from about January the 10th. Access may still be difficult at times, hence bookings will be essential. The new site may be expanded to include a larger telescope ideally suited to photography, as well as two research telescopes. At present we are weighing up if we are going to build a dome observatory, or a roll off roof type facility. It is also still uncertain if public tours will be available. However, it will be certain that if public tours are offered, it will be only for smaller groups.

People may have noticed that we are starting a page dedicated to meteorite education. I had hoped to have this page finished quickly, but other work commitments have delayed the construction of the page.

On the Move (Latest News!) (Nov 2011)

The observatory will be relocating further along Limekilns Road next year! Though this was not the move we had hoped for. We had hoped for another site a bit further out and higher in elevation but the purchase fell through. We have instead purchased another new site. The new site is not too bad and it is hoped that construction will start early next year. However, we are very uncertain about if public tours will be (or can be) supported at the new site.

At present we can offer tours only on some nights. This is due to the development work around us making access to the observatory site difficult. It is best to call before 6:30 pm on the night you wish to attend to see if we are able to run tours. Friday and Saturday night are preferred tours.

The Sun and its Spots

The sun is increasing the number of sunspots it develops, as we near the peak of its 11 year activity cycle. The dark spots on the image below are concentrated areas of magnetism. Sometimes they can explode and send particles toward Earth. These particles can damage satellites and electronics, however can also cause beautiful Aurora. The image below was taken on the 30th of July 2011 using our specially filtered solar telescope. 

Four Planets in the Morning Sky

There was much media attention regarding the gathering of four planets, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury and Mars during May. The image below was taken on May 15 at about 5:15 am from our observatory site. 

New Meteorites for Sale.

We have finally got around to cutting and polishing a large number of chondrite meteorites for sale. We are selling this batch for two reasons. One reason is to raise money for our new telescopes and the other is to raise money to save a horse! (Yes a horse! This horse is scheduled to become pet meat if not purchased. As such we are selling some meteorites to save him!). 

UPDATE,,, GUNNABE (the horse) has been saved!

Lunar Eclipse 21st December 2010

The partially eclipsed Moon was rising over the hills as the sun set on the evening of the 21st of December 2010. These images were taken through one of the observatory telescopes.

Above, the eclipsed Moon rises over the trees on the 21st of December 2010

As the evening progressed, the moon continued to slip out of the Earth's shadow.

Astronomy Club

The astronomy club is running again! We have created a new page to detail meeting times and dates.

Coming Soon, Solar Telescope Tours (Viewing the Sun)

Starting in November, we hope to be able to offer daytime telescope views of the sun. We have a special telescope that allows you to SAFELY view the sun. At present the availability of these tours will depend on three factors. 1, that I'm available on the day. 2, it is not cloudy. 3, that the sun has some active features. The third point is important, as sometimes the sun can be quiet and not as interesting to see. These tours will be about 15 minutes in duration and again by gold coin donation. Bookings for a solar tour would be essential.

We will still be running our very popular Open Nights, telescope tours in the evening as well.

New Images

The images below are some test shots taken with our new camera set up. They were taken on Sunday the 8th of August 2010 and Friday 13th of August (Moon and Omega Cent). I'll put them on our gallery page soon. They are nice examples of the sorts of things we show you at the observatory.

Above, is globular star cluster M22, taken through one of our telescopes. Below is an image, again through the telescope of the open star cluster the jewel box, located near the Southern Cross. Both images are only test shots!

Below are images taken on the 13th of August.  Globular Star cluster NGC 5139, Omega Cent (not far from the southern cross) and the other is the crescent Moon.

Lunar Eclipse Night of the 26th of June 2010

Despite some rather persistent and annoying cloud, the lunar eclipse "Open Night" was quite successful. The cloud was fairly thin, so the moon was readily seen. We had a few visitors turn up with cameras in hand to take photos and enjoy the evening. Many thanks to those that turned up. We were also able to show a few constellation in breaks in the cloud. Below are two images of the partial lunar eclipse.

Images of the Lunar Eclipse of the 26th of June 2010. The moon was partially immersed in Earths Shadow. (Bathurst Observatory Research Facility Images)

Open Nights, our new sky tours!

We are very pleased to announce that by popular demand we are offering night tours again at the observatory. I have received numerous requests by the public and school groups to offer my services for tours again. As such we are going to offer from June some tours. We are calling them "Open Nights" as we will be showcasing the night sky without an observatory dome to get in the way of seeing the whole night sky. We will use a computer equipped telescope to view and enjoy the night sky. Tour dates and times will be posted on the home page and the news page. Booking will be essential!!!!! If these tours are popular, we will make them a regular monthly or weekly event.

Meteorite Research and Classification Backlog.

Please note that I have lately received a large amount of meteorites to work on, so classifications submitted now would likely take 36 months to complete! Also, there have been some unexpected breakdowns with the EMP unit that has also delayed much of the current work. As such I currently prefer not to take on anymore new samples, until I can clear the backlog of waiting material. If however the sample is urgent or somehow special, I will see what I can do.

The main hold up is the microprobe analysis, so if you have another laboratory that can undertake the analysis for you, I am happy to undertake the rest of the process including the petrology. I am also happy to hear from any institution that may be interested in joint research work. 

NEWSFLASH! I now have another university willing to do the probe work, however there will be a fee charged to cover this cost.

Another Strange Hobby

Not only is the observatory working on meteorites and astronomy related projects, but we are now also restoring an old steam engine. Although not related to astronomy, the observatory operator has an interest in old engines and the old steam engine is one of a few old engines that may be worked on this year. The current project is a 1910 Marshall M.P class horizontal steam engine. We hope to have it fully restored for its 100th birthday.

We have had a flurry of work on the old Marshall engine and will soon have it ready for painting and then the big task of reassembly can take place. We are still on target to have it finished for late 2010.

A.N.U Assists in Research

The Australian National University in Canberra is assisting with the meteorite research. This should help clear the huge backlog of work and meteorites awaiting classification. A.N.U have some of the latest analytical tools so we are very excited to have A.N.U on board.