Each year, since 1993, the Astronomical Society of New South Wales has hosted the now famous South Pacific Star Party (SPSP), at its 107 acre (43 hectare) country property Wiruna near Ilford, NSW, between Lithgow and Mudgee, about 3 hours north-west of Sydney, through the Blue Mountains and into the NSW Central Tablelands.
The South Pacific Star Party provides amateurs with the chance to meet other amateur and professional astronomers, and observe under dark skies with superb seeing conditions, through all types and sizes of telescopes.
“Among the eucalyptus woodlands in New South Wales, Australia, there is 100 acres of land [Wiruna] designated for stargazing. Owned by a local astronomy society [the ASNSW], the land has both observation facilities and basic accommodations, though most prefer to camp. Each year, the society hosts a “South Pacific Star Party” during which 200 to 400 people convene for a weekend of star watching beneath one of the world’s darkest skies.” –Forbes.com, 18 June 2008.
Details & Registration *Note – SOLD OUT
The annual Introduction to Practical Astronomy Course run the Sutherland Astronomical Society (SASI) is on!
Wed 7 Aug Getting Acquainted with the Night Sky
Wed 14 Aug Constellations from the Southern Hemisphere
Wed 21 Aug Setting up Telescopes & Understanding Optics
Wed 28 Aug The Solar System
Wed 4 Sep Stars
Wed 11 Sep Deep Sky Objects
Wed 18 Sep Intro to the Big Bang Theory
Wed 25 Sep New Developments in Astronomy & Space, Basic concepts for beginners in Astro-Photography)
Sessions are held at the Green Point Observatory in Oyster Bay, south of Sydney.
Recommended: Additional Saturday evenings dark-sky observing during the course, with mentor volunteers.
You will need to book – full details here
Ok so this might be a little premature 10 years out from the event, but hey – why not get the hype machine rolling early right? There’s a lot of time to prepare and practice or at the very least, scratch a few days off your future calendar to come join us and the rest of Sydney for a total solar eclipse with a “greatest duration” of totality that passes right over the Bintel store in Glebe! Almost 4 glorious minutes of darkness await during totality. To check the map for your predicted time and proximity to totality check NASA’s website here.
Fill out the form below. Please note we may not choose to publish the event but appreciate the heads up!