We hold one open night each month. There is no need to book for this night - just turn up. Open nights start at sunset and run for a couple of hours, all for the modest cost of $2 each.

We also are open for bookings. This can be for one, or for a group of 20. The fee structure is $5 per head with a minimum fee of $50. School groups are $3 a head.

The difference between open nights and booked nights is that on open nights you get to see a couple of night sky objects, while with booked nights you get to see a lot more. We look at deep sky images as well as any lunar and planetary subjects that are visible on the night. The operator will take you outside and give a tour of the night sky, using a laser pointer to help you see different things of interest.

At present there are three courses being run through the observatory.

• Astronomy for Beginners
• Astro Photography - planetary and lunar
• Astro Photography - wide field and deep sky

1. Astronomy for Beginners

The Astronomy for Beginners is a 8 hour course that runs for 4 weeks. Participants receive a copy of the book The Southern Sky, a comprehensive atlas of the sky specifically designed for use in the Southern Hemisphere.

The aim of this course is to help you to discover the many wonders of the night sky and how to navigate the night sky. Using The Southern Sky we will identify many of the constellations that pass overhead each night, including any Zodiac constellations that are visible at that time. Over the 8 hours of the course we will observe the night sky and its deep sky wonders through different optical aids, including binoculars, refracting telescopes and compound telescopes. We will tour the various features of the moon and learn how to identify planets and where they are most likely to be found. We will identify the various types of telescopes and mounts currently available to the amateur astronomer and how to select the right one for your needs and budget. The design of the course is flexible enough so that participants will have the opportunity to cover areas of specific interest to themselves.

2. Planetary and Luna astroimaging

2. The planetary and Luna astroimaging course is designed to introduce the absolute beginner to the wonders and ease of digital imaging of the planets and the moon. Areas covered will include telescope and mount selection, camera selection, understanding some of that strange language – computerese – in particular how it applies to digital images, capture techniques and capture programs, post capture processing programs and techniques, how best to store your images and what to do with them once you’re finished with them. This course will run for 15 hours over approximately 5-6 weeks. This time frame is flexible due to the vagaries of the weather so the 5-6 weeks may not run concurrently.

Participants in the course will receive a CD-ROM containing a number of basic programs frequently used for processing digital astroimages. As well as the programs there will be a handout in pdf form on the disc that you can print out and use throughout the course. While there will be some theory included in the course, it is primarily a practical course with plenty of hands on opportunity at capturing images and processing images.

Due to the technical nature of this course and the equipment required numbers will be limited so early bookings are essential to be sure of a spot in the course.

3. Astrophotography for widefield and deep sky

The astrophotography for widefield and deep sky course is designed for the beginner to wet their toes in the vast ocean of digital deep sky and widefield imaging. This is a huge field of study and because of this it is impossible to cover all aspects of deep sky imaging.However the following aspects will be covered.

• What camera do I need?
• What sort of telescope and mount can I use?
• What can I take pictures of?
• How do I take my images?
• How do I process my images?
• Now that I have my images, what can I do with them?

While there will be some theory involved, because it is a beginner’s course we will focus on the practical activities of taking the images and processing them. To a large degree this course will mirror and complement the planetary and Luna imaging course in theory and practice. It will however concentrate on the deep sky objects and primarily digital imaging using Digital SLR cameras and low cost CCD astrophotographical cameras. Film photography will be looked at briefly, though its detailed application and processing techniques will be outside the scope of this course.

The exact time frame of the course is yet to be determined, though it is expected to be between 10-12 hours over 3 sessions. The duration of the course will largely be determined by the phases of the moon. Imaging most deep sky object and attempting wide field imaging is often not practical from first quarter moon through to last quarter moon due to the brightness of the moon.

Due to the technical nature of this course and the equipment required, numbers will be limited to a very small group so early bookings are essential to be sure of a spot in the course.

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