The Bathurst Observatory Research Facility has recently moved location. We are in the process of building the Meteorite Museum shed. The Meteorite Museum will provide a space to display our meteorite, public education and video conferences into schools.
Bathurst Observatory Research Facility, Australia, has one of the only public displays of meteorites in NSW west of Sydney in our Meteorite Museum. We have over 200 specimens to be displayed, ranging from witnessed falls to historical pieces. You will be able to come and see our display of space models, minerals, fossils and meteorites.
Approval for the stage 1 components of the project have been obtained from Bathurst Regional Council.
The funding goal is to reach $45,000 which will cover the cost of concrete slab, the cost of the shed and construction.
CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT OUR PROJECT
Plan of the Meteorite Museum shed.
Museum site pegged and ready to go.
The meteorite museum aligns with the observatory’s work on asteroid, comet and other astronomical research as well as public education and outreach.
We also study meteorites as part of our research goals, and have published a number of papers about meteorites.
We can also offer some services to meteorite collectors and researches wishing to display their specimens.
Some meteorites from the Bathurst Observatory collection
Some of our displays below.
General space image from our observatory
ABOUT US
The Observatory is currently privately owned and had operated at its old site on Limekilns Road, Bathurst since July 2000. In 2018, it was decided that the observatory should relocate to a much better site due to housing and other development at our previous site. Light pollution from developments would have rendered the old site impractical for further astronomy. As such, the old site has been sold and we have purchased a new site, further from Bathurst (at Billywillinga), which has much better observing sites, not only for tourism, but for research and professional/amateur astronomers as well. We aim to provide multiple viewing experiences rather than one off options, to encourage multiple visitation.
The observatory is only one of its type in the region and will offer experiences and tour options no similar facility will offer. Its location and night activities will ensure overnight stays within the region or at our guest cottage.
TIME FRAME
The new observatory still in the construction and planning stage though will operate from late 2019, early 2020. A key goal is planning and ensuring the new site is developed to meet identified needs. This will ensure its adaptability now and into the future. However, current Bathurst Observatory telescopes are now being relocated to the new site, as well as the meteorite research collection and much more!
Some key aspects of the initial timeline;
* Relocation of the public outreach and imaging telescope with the observatory’s iconic dome.
* Set up of the public viewing telescopes and area.
* Construction of the meteorite research building (with displays)
* Availability of sites for setting up your own equipment
* Opening of the guest accommodation and planetarium in stage 2
The Bathurst Observatory’s iconic dome, soon to relocate to the new site. It houses our research and imaging telescope
Future stage 2 items for inclusion will be approval additional cabins and telescope sites as demand increases.
Note the planetarium is a fully modern computerised system and has an advantage in that it is portable and can be taken to schools, community events, as well as serve at the observatory site. It does not require an additional building, though provides an all-weather option for tours.
FURTHER INFORMATION
For more information about Bathurst Observatory Research Facility please visit our website at: https://bathurstobservatory.com.au/
and our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/BathurstObservatory/
Watch THIS Space February 25
Firstly, before I start with what is in the sky this month, I know people are hanging out for tour dates. As my schedule gets busier and busier, I am finding it harder to find dates when I can do tours. This should get better after February once a few things free up for me. At present there is only ONE date, yes sadly one! That would be a tour on Saturday the 22nd. That tour would be at 9:00pm, bookings essential. I am so sorry about that, but it is the only evening I can squeeze one in! (Maybe I need a tour guide assistant to do the tours when I have research or other things!)
Now that the planet alignment hoax that the planets would line up on January 25th has passed, we can get onto looking at the planets when they ARE actually at the best. That being the month of February! Most of the planets will be sighted spread across the evening skies during February, from the west to the NE. Though some like Saturn and Mercury, will be much harder to sight. Bright Venus, in the west, Jupiter in the north, and Mars in the North East will be much easier to find.
Comet G3 Atlas, which dazzled us very low in the SW during January, broke up not long after passing the sun putting a lot of its material into the tail. Hence why the tail was so stunning. But alas the comet is fading fast and likely only a telescopic object (if at all visible in twilight) in February. It was interesting to witness the breakup and demise of this comet!
The summer Milky Way stretches almost north to south and contains many great star clusters and nebula to see. Eta Carina Nebula above the Southern Cross would definitely be one highlight. Late one evening, I also imaged the Monkey Head nebula which would be great for astrophotographers around now. Not really a visual nebula, even in the telescope, but a good target for an image. The image I obtained is this months, Watch THIS Space posted image! ... See MoreSee Less
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Colin Pickstone maybe what we saw last night
Nice photo 👍 A great run-down of what has been and to come 👏 I'm with you on the bull$hit all over the place about the planetary alignment 😑 I hope to get a few photos with my fisheye lens and I'm thinking maybe a time-lapse like I have seen on an astronomy site. A 12 hour time-lapse will be interesting to do 😐
Comet G3 Atlas on the evening of the 24th January. There are both a close up and a wide field views of the comet. Imaged from Bathurst Observatory before I had to rush away on other commitments!
PS. I'll post February tours dates very soon! ... See MoreSee Less
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Nothing but cloud here in Wollongong every night. Very disappointing 😞
I went out side last night didn’t even see it lol and was looking for it
A close up image using a small 6 inch F5 telescope on the evening of the 21st January. As the comet's nucleus has broken up, a lot of material has been put into the tail. Note the bright streak in the coma (head) of the comet. This is the debris from the breakup spreading out. Lots of great rays to be seen in the tail as well. ... See MoreSee Less
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WOW. Absolutely amazing capture of the comet.
Great photo
Spectacular!!!!
¡Increíble!
Wow. Beautiful!
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Comet G3 Atlas on the evening of the 21st January. The brighter wide field image I did process to highlight the tail. There is also an unprocessed one, but the tail is still impressive! Visually I could see about 12 degrees of tail with my eye. The close up view was imaged using a small 6 inch F5 telescope. ... See MoreSee Less
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Need to find my adapter for my slr, to use on my 8inch telescope. Sadly I think we might. E clouded on from now on in.
Great shots, is it fainter by naked eye than previous days? I could hardly see it last night, smoke haze was a problem 4 miles west of Cudal
Crazy. Cloud cover to the north west of Orange completely hid it tonight
Single image of the Comet Atlas G3 on the 20th January from the small 6 inch telescope. Love the rays in the tail. It is still thought the comet is breaking up and likely why the tail shows more detail and has brightened. Little wispy cloud just below the comet. ... See MoreSee Less
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Were are you located at in Bathurst as I would like to bring my family to come visit there and how much is as we live in Oberon
With the comet visible in a darker sky and the probable break up of the nucleus, the tail on the evening of the 20th looked stunning. The comet seems to be brighter as well. ... See MoreSee Less
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Are you open for visits this week to see the planets? Bght my son a telescope cant see anything all black 😫
What time exactly are you photographing? Coz we were up at mt panorama and we couldn’t see anything. There was some cloud in the way also
Nice photo, It is fading fast 😕 I got photos last night and I saw it in liveview on the camera screen before by eye. With the twilight and smoke haze I could hardly see it by eye.
Kel Berg hopefully you can see it via this page if you don’t see it from home x
Brad Tucker these guys took some great comet pictures
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Atlas G3 was not as bright on the night of the 19th January, and perhaps around mag 0.5. The nucleus is not as obvious and appears non distinct and much faded. This is reported elsewhere and indications are that the comet may have disintegrated. If that is the case, it may now fade very quickly, though the tail may show development. David Finlay and I were also battling the thin high cloud a bit as well, but I think that added to the images. Images at Bathurst Observatory site
Ps update soaceweather.com is also reporting a breakup of the comet. ... See MoreSee Less
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Where did you hear about it disintegrating? I can't find anything online saying that.
That was my observation too, much fainter, especially the coma which no longer had a distinct bright area
Nice shots, I got it on the 18th and it certainly looks different - core.
I got a few but this one my favourite
Comet Atlas G3 is easy to spot on the 18th and for the next few days will be low in the WSW after sunset. These images were taken on the 18th of January at the observatory. Further information was posted on the 12th on where and how to see the comet. Note it is fading each night, so start with binoculars! ... See MoreSee Less
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Marge, the rains are here! Typical cloud cover ruins the best opportunities!
how many degrees from the horizon is it? I looked last night and i suspect the hill or mountain might be blocking the view 🙁
As of the 12th January, comet G3 Atlas is currently passing by the sun and brightening rapidly. If it survives its close approach to the sun this coming week, it may be a very nice object low in the WSW sky later in January.
The comet reaches perihelion (closest point to the sun) around Jan 13. At this point it may be in the negative magnitudes, similar but not as bright as Atlas A3 was. As of today, (12th) best viewed then on SOHO LASCO C3 web site. Perihelion takes it inside the orbit of Mercury, so hoping it is not a fragile comet. Assuming it survives, after perihelion it will be low in the WSW in evening twilight from about January 18th and best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere (another good one for Aussies!). Stellarium puts it at a conservative mag 5, but predictions from Sky and Telescope say it may be as bright as say Mag 1-ish. It will rapidly fade (faster than A3 did) and be somewhat lost to other than telescopes from about the 26th of Jan or so. The finder chart is for around 9:00pm (AEDT) around the 22nd of January. Note it isn't going to get much higher in the sky than this!!!
So perhaps not as bright as Atlas A3, but there is some chatter about it displaying a fairly nice tail for that week in January 18th to 23rd ish. ... See MoreSee Less
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Looking forward to another comet in the sky🙂 I can't find comet G3 Atlas in Stellarium, i have updated it with the solar system editor (comet) but no comet G3 Atlas ???? Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong?
out of curiosity, this G3 comet visible outside of using telescope etc etc, cause I can see a light seems to slow for light aircraft or a convectional star?