Bathurst Observatory Research Facility
Bathurst NSW Australia
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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)
NEWS: Tours begin at the new site
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 any clear Friday and Saturday nights, however, we can also offer some tours, mid week for groups of 5 or more. Check to see if I am available.
Any clear Friday and Saturday Nights!!!
Note, Bathurst Observatory has moved and under construction!!!!
The new site, opened during 2020 and offers better sky, better viewing opportunities and a more unique experience.
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!).
Why “Open Nights”?
We used to do tours in the observatory dome. However, we found that the dome itself blocked out most of the night sky! Our visitors wanted to view through a telescope but be able to see and hear about the wonders of the night sky at the same time. We particularly had many visitors from urban areas wanting to see a nice dark country sky full of stars. The solution, set up the public telescope as nature wanted us to, on cleared ground next to the observatory, under the wonder of the Southern stars.
Our tours are conducted with the only guide with over fifteen years educational astronomy experience and with Bachelor of Education Honours Degree! Our guide is also an internationally recognised expert in the field of meteorites.
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.
We cater for all school astronomy and space excursions, as well as general public telescope tours of the night sky. Primarily we offer our open night tours to inspire everyone to look to the night sky.
The Milky Way stretches overhead in this view taken at the Bathurst Observatory Research Facility.
The Bathurst Observatory Research Facility (Research and Meteorite Related Enquires and Public Viewing Nights)
The Bathurst Observatory Research Facility, located on the current site on Limekilns Road north east of Bathurst. At the research site, we study, comets, asteroids, variable stars, meteors and meteorites. For research related enquires please email us.
We also welcome any enquires or questions you may have on Astronomy, Space or meteorite related matters.
Our FaceBook page https://www.facebook.com/BathurstObservatory/ is regularly updated, so have a look for the latest news and images from the observatory.
Other Tours
Solar Telescope Tours (Viewing the Sun)
On occasions, we are 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.
- that I’m available on the day.
- it is not cloudy.
- 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 by gold coin donation. Bookings for a solar tour would be essential.
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We value your privacy and do not share your information.
The auroral activity did continue into the evening of the 11th of October. However, moonlight was present (which gives the aurora a more lilac hue). Activity subsided by 10pm and alas the current auroral show is over until the next solar flare! ... See MoreSee Less
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I was asked about the colour of aurora on another page, so here is a summary of why some peoples images are red, some pink! Below 200km or so, oxygen (the prime emission gas for Earth aurora) emits green light at 558nm. However, at altitudes above 230km the dominant emission line is 630nm, very much in the red spectrum. At my latitude, I don't see the bottom half (green altitudes) but only emissions from above 400km (630nm red). I have imaged aurora now for 25 years, from film to DSLR, and they tend to be ... red to perhaps orange. Now phones, that a lot of images are being taken with, are very different, they adjust to a night mode which tends to push the spectrum bluer (as most of our human lighting is yellowish, to make image natural, phones blue them up a bit with an auto white balance adjustment). That white balance used by phones will tend to make an aurora more pink to lilac in colour. NOW an exception is imaging the auroral images under 1st quarter moon as on the evening of the 11th. The moon brightens the sky to a blue colour (merely reflecting the sun's light) and the mix of blue colour from a moon lit sky with the red 630nm of the oxygen emission line of the aurora, will tend to make them pink or lilac!!! (red and blue make purple). Ray from Bathurst Observatory Research Facility, Bathurst NSW
Where is your dome actually located? Are you connected in any way to the Grove Creek Observatory at Trunkey Creek?
any chance you'll be photographing the comet now in the evening sky?
I finally got to see it - managed some shots while the moon in cloud. Location Porters Retreat.
Wow how I’d love to See this one day.
Greg Purvis
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A major solar flare a couple of days ago sent high energy particles towards Earth. These sparked a major auroral storm in the early hours of Friday the 11th October. These images (I took 100) are from 3:00am as the storm peaked. There is some chance it will continue into the night of the 11th.
As I was clouded for the May auroral storm, I was so happy it was clear for this one. I have to admit this was the best Aurora I have seen!!!
Lat 32.33 south Bathurst Observatory ... See MoreSee Less
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Bathurst Observatory Research Facility thank you for these amazing photos. could this happen again tonight or the next few nights?
Beautiful. So do you think 3am again tonight?
I had been waiting and gave up as it was daylight with a bright moon and a clear sky. I saw a friend this morning and she said did you see the Aurora then showed me your photos. I kicked myself! My Grandfather had told me a story for years that he had seen Aurora in the hills of Turondale as him and my Nan walked the hills rabbit trapping so it’s been my dream to be able to see one clearly from home. Crossing everything for it tonight!
Amazing photos thanks for sharing
That’s amazing!!
Stunning!!!!
Stunning
Elizabeth Tester stunning
Cate Buckingham
Jodie Wells
Colin Pickstone
Warren Robins
Rhi Blackwell ❤️
Lee Coady
Maureen Barnsley Liss Aimee William Herlihy
Wow!!!
Wow!!
Oh wowee
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My last early morning images on the 3rd of October. The comet is getting deeper into morning twilight (making it harder to image) as it is about to pass between the Earth and the Sun and emerge in just under two weeks into the evening sky. Hopefully it will maintain its brightness when it is in the evening sky. You can still see it in the morning sky for a couple more days, but it will get increasingly harder to sight. Remember, I have posted information in my previous posts with finder charts and how to see the comet.
I have a wide angle image (50mm lens on DSLR) and two images at 800mm FL. One of these I've zoomed in a bit to show activity within the coma of the comet. ... See MoreSee Less
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What time of day were The pics taken? And can it been seen with the naked eye at all?
Ole iphone camera this morning. I couldnt find damn tripod for dslr. Thinking of heading out to olds farm tomorrow morning if conditions are good again.
Lee Coady
Watch THIS Space (October 24)
All attention is rightly placed on Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) this month. It has been certainly a treat for those up just before dawn late September. These images are from the 1st of October at 4:30am to 4:40am. One is a close up through one of our smaller telescopes, while the other is DSLR and 50mm lens.
The comet will merge into twilight in the morning sky by the second week of October. However, it “may” become bright enough to just pick out in daylight around the 9th of October. Note though this will be very close to the sun, and I wouldn’t recommend trying to see it without proper equipment.
The comet will emerge again from about the 15th October in the Western sky in twilight, rising higher in the WNW each night. By then it should look spectacular (still bright with a long tail) if it holds to the early show it has been displaying. Hopefully too, the media might finally pick up interest in this comet!!! I have attached a finder chart for Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) around the 18th of October in the western evening sky (8:30pm daylight saving time)
There may be another comet too for the end of October. It was only VERY recently discovered, so I will post more details on it, if it survives nearing the sun. It is a member of the ‘sungrazing group’ very similar to comet Lovejoy of 2011. ... See MoreSee Less
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Great photos. "May" be visible in the daytime, I hope your right 🤞 but I'll wait and see.
Are you having open nights?
Lee Coady maybe something you guys can see better out there
Can see it clearly with the naked eye at 440am. This is normal camera with no telescope.
Thank you for heads up
Max Young Chris Young Ellie Young Josie Young Christine Holt
Brooke Coolidge Christine Fittler Joanne Fittler-Ward
Tayla Flannery
Warren Robins
Martine
Christine
David
Emma Dale - Connolly
Sarah
From Molong NSW, 2.10.24.. can't tell is this is a bit of camera shake as the camera was on tripod with remote control, but there is a spec of light at bottom of comet, any report of a second piece with the comet??
Ewan Roy
Thankyou 💗 💗 💗 💗
Ashleigh Dellaway check it out
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New Edition of "Watch THIS space" will be out Tuesday! Hopefully with a new image of the comet (if these cloudy mornings ever cease!) ... See MoreSee Less
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Saw an image from Chile showing a slight small tail off the south side, small but obvious.
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) at around 4:40am on the 23rd of September. The comet has brightened noticeably in two days. There is also a faint tail in the 4 o'clock position. Bad weather is forecast for the next few days sadly. However, in Mid October, the comet will be in the evening skies. ... See MoreSee Less
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Which direction do we look? Great photos. 🔭
Great photo, Can't wait until it is in the evening sky.
ill try and have a poke one morning but unless i go for a drive the east for me isn't the greatest viewing
Ryan Davis
Fran Okeefe
Melonie Ross
👏cool
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Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS at 4:40am on the 21st of September. It is VERY low in the twilight and current moonlit sky. The close in image through the 6 inch telescope is still somewhat grainy as a result, but the wide angle view (with the trees lit by the moon, is somewhat clearer. The comet is seen below centre in the wider view. The comet was hard to see with binoculars, but will brighten in time for the predicted rain later this week! ... See MoreSee Less
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Can you please share directions?
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is slowly emerging in the morning twilight and should be even better placed to see from about 25th September. Early reports show the comet may be brighter than predicted. So 'watch this space"!!! ... See MoreSee Less
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I’m not back until 15th October. How do you think it will be then Ray?
Saturn is currently hidden by the moon and will start to emerge in the next hour.
direction and degrees above horizon and what will it be like on around 25th? Is this a decently bright one ?
🤞🤞🤞
"Watch THIS Space"
Here is the first of the promised monthly updates of what is happening in the night sky that you can head out and enjoy and share with others. The first object of interest “might” turn out to be one certainly not to miss.
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is currently too close to the sun to see, however, at the end of September it may become quite a spectacular object, low in the eastern sky near dawn. The comet may be as bright as magnitude 0.5 (as bright as most brighter stars) displaying a nice long tail as well.
Notice though I say “may” as comets are not entirely predictable. A lot depends on if the comet survives its approach to the sun and on something called forward scatter (the size of the dust particles that make up the tail that can make the comet much brighter). As such, the comet may be brighter or much fainter than predicted. The best times to look for it will be from around 4:15AM until twilight for a week low in the east from the 26th September and each morning following for about the first week of October. It will then be too low to see until after 18th October, when it becomes nicely placed and hopefully still bright in the evening western sky.
I have attached two finder maps. One for the 28th September at 4:30AM looking east. The other is western sky at 8:30pm about the 19th of October. Remember the comet does NOT blaze or streak across the sky!!!!! It will slowly change its position relative to background stars each night.
Keep an eye out too now for Venus, low in the western sky after sunset and then turn around and look east to see Saturn rising in the eastern sky as the night continues. If you have a telescope, try turning it towards these planets. ... See MoreSee Less
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Thank you. I’ve photographed both planets. Through my telescope.Very exciting
Excellent! Thanks for the detailed info.
Hi was wondering if anyone got a photo of the new moon a couple weeks ago they could share with me, it looked as if it was smiling many thanks
Jenny Walsh it is spectacular
Kim Pattison
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