Bathurst Observatory

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First image from the new wide field telescope and camera of the Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae. This was a test of the system and the frames were a bit shorter than I plan in the future. But it does show the quality of the new scope and camera. The processing of the images is very different and I have to learn again!
Some of the new camera gear has arrived!!! Just waiting on a connector and then will put it through its paces. Although I have cut back on tours (so I can image and do research) I will still be offering some tours, though likely a bit more randomly than before. That said, I should be able to squeeze in a couple in school holidays.... Watch this space.
Unfortunately due to personal reasons and much discussion with my friends and family, I've had to make to decision to ease back on tours for perhaps the rest of the year. I will still be offering some special nights, but the regular weekends I will be having to allocate for catching up with a few observatory projects of my own. I will also be investing in some new equipment for the observatory to hopefully improve the images I take. For example.. Wait and see what the new equipment will do with the galaxy NGC 5128 I took recently with the old! But please stay following me as there will be more frequent images posted and stay tuned for special nights, particularly if you are an astronomy buff! Plus I'll keep you posted with what you can see in the sky!
My first larger telescope image of comet R3 Panstarrs on the evening of the 5th of May. I should be able to get better as it gets higher in the sky.
I had my first view of comet R3 Panstarrs in evening twilight on the 3rd of May. With all the cloud about, I hadn't expected to see it at all! But with a gap in cloud, I grabbed the camera and 50mm lens for a quick snap. Nice long tail! Can't wait to get the telescope on this one!. It will be slowly getting higher in the western evening skies over the coming weeks.
Thank you to all the people understanding that we were closed for private remembrance over the Anzac weekend in memory of a relative who died in war. I did take some time on my own in reflection in the observatory and took a quick image of the Moon.
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