Bathurst Observatory Research Facility
Bathurst NSW Australia
Please like our Facebook page for latest news and images!
https://www.facebook.com/BathurstObservatory/
Bathurst Observatory Research Facility is an observatory site primarily for education, research and study, though we do offer general public viewing nights.
Open Nights Star Tours Available Now (conditions and limits apply)
Bookings will be essential for all tours.
(All tours subject to weather)
Tours are underway at the new site. The site is not complete yet, however, are able to offer tours to help complete other facilities.
Tours will be generally be available most Friday and Saturday nights.
No tours in the week of Full Moon
Please note that the main telescope is pretty big and requires use of a small stepladder for viewing. Please advise if you would have difficulties with steps and we can set up a different telescope.
* There may be some mid week research nights where tours are not available.
Reduced Tours Prices for groups
Costs :
As the site is not yet complete with all facilities, we are asking for donation towards completion (an amount you think is fair for the tour and my time).
(Note: we have NO credit card facilities)
Tour bookings and Enquiries, phone (0427292214 Please leave a message as we screen out spam calls), or email us. (Email is by far the best way to get us, if you don’t get a reply it means you have us blocked!!! Please change your settings! NB: we are unable to reply to Gmail email addresses at the moment, please phone us, or use a different email address).
Tours require bookings and are weather dependent. (We can’t see stars through clouds!) Tour duration is about 1 hour, depending on time of year.
Our FaceBook page https://www.facebook.com/BathurstObservatory/ is regularly updated, so have a look for the latest news and images from the observatory.
Keep up to date with our latest News.
Please Subscribe to our Newsletter.
We value your privacy and do not share your information.
We were clouded out for the eclipse but have seen some nice images taken by locals. Feel free to post your images in the comments!!! I’d love to see them. ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
It was a bit hit and miss who got photos, CWAS members in Parkes and Barry got good photos but here in Cudal-☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️🫤
View more comments
There will be a lunar eclipse on the evening of the 3rd of March! All you need is your eyes and a comfy chair to enjoy it. (I guess clear skies help too). These times are NSW daylight savings times, so adjust for your region.
You will see the moon start to enter Earth's shadow at 8:50pm low in the ENE. By 10:04 pm the moon will fully enter Earth's shadow and take on the orange/red hue. Mid eclipse occurs at 10:33pm in the NE and by 11:02 pm the Moon will start to leave Earth's shadow, leaving it by 12:17 am.
Great to try your astrophotography skills and share with family. Please note that until further notice YAHOO and HOTMAIL accounts do not work and we can't reply to you!! sorry, trying to fix it this week. ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
🤞🤞🤞🤞 on the weather!
Neina Campbell
Ursh Griffin
Daz Chappo
For those with good binoculars, dark skies and telescopes, there is a nice comet current in our skies for a few more weeks. It can be located in the SW skies after sunset. Slowly getting higher and a bit more westwards over coming nights. It is comet C/2024 E1 Wierzchos. I hope to be able to image it in coming nights (hopefully without swarms of Starlink satellites!) ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we will get some good rain to clear the air.
Naturally it is overcast here in canberra.
Danika Parish
Just a quick note that if you use Gmail, we can’t reply to you at present please try a different email address or let Gmail know that we can’t reply. ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
Note the error has now included Hotmail. So please if you want to contact us it is best to message not email.
Well the aurora certainly delivered on the evening of the 20th into the early hours of the 21st January! Here are some of about 180 images I managed during the display. Will the display continue on the evening of the 21st? Possible minor outbursts, but the best of the display has now likely passed (until the next solar flare!) ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
I'm glad to see your photos. My pictures are just like any other ordinary night
Excellent shots. Lucky holidays are still happening. Thanks for sharing
Great shots and what a show😀 I got up about 3.10am and got some more shots from home in Cudal. I got my first shots from east of Cudal at 9.43pm. 😲
Tanya Marquardt
Wow!!!
View more comments
High chance of Aurora on the night of the 20th January. You will need clear and dark skies away from towns viewing to the south from dark until dawn. Keep an eye out as activity can come and go. ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
Kina Bowden if I wasn’t pet sitting I would have come to yours camp in the yard hahahaha
Cloudy and we have these numbers 🫤
What is the best time for viewing ?
F
F
View more comments
Still under orders to rest the pinched nerve for at least another week! Frustrating, as I still have to do a minor repair to the observatory. Hope everyone had a great start to the year! Looking forward to a few highlights this year, including a lunar eclipse!
Image is late night (early morning) milky way southern cross region from a few weeks ago! ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
Get well soon. Pinched nerves are painful.
Back problems are not funny Get well soon
Nice shot. Take it easy, it's no good if you get back into it too soon. Been there ☹️
I have been catching up with family and when here, it has been cloudy! So a struggle to fit in tours it seems before Christmas. I also need to do a small repair to the observatory during the week. So it seems January for tours! Hoping in the meantime you enjoy your break and however you spend Christmas! ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
Merry Christmas!
Have a happy Christmas.
Tours 'should' be available during the school holidays, subject to weather (and as usual, not near full Moon). I will post tour availability generally a week ahead of upcoming tours. This time of year though, they are pretty late at 9:30 pm. I will need to do some telescope testing though too, to make sure al is fine! Looking forward to being back at the scope! ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook