The New "Hands On" Observing Nights at the AST site at Mt Canopus now being held every Friday night from 8:30 pm regardless of the weather conditions. We hope that members and their friends and visitors will avail themselves of this opportunity to do some practical astronomy as well as introduce a social aspect to the Society.

 

To help newcomers there will be a team of enthusiastic and experienced members to help you get started. We have four telescopes available and members can bring along their own telescopes and equipment to set up and use or to find out how to set up and use.

 

If the weather is unsuitable for observing then we will have a range of indoor topics, for example, How to Collimate your telescope practical sessions, Computer use with Planetarium programs, Image processing techniques in digital astro photography. Use of the Meade LPI & DSI cameras and so on. Refreshments available.

 

Please observe the following basic rules: On entering & leaving the site please keep headlights down, use sidelights if possible, headlights may just ruin someone's dark adaptation and or camera exposure. During 6 months of the year the 1-metre telescope is in use by professional astronomers and they do not want headlights shining into the big dome for obvious reasons. Please park in the main parking area by the main building and walk down to the small observatories. Members may also have telescopes set up on the surrounding grassed areas.

 

Come along to the New Observing Nights and enjoy what you joined the Society to do - enjoy the night sky!