The conference is over for another year, and just how quickly the time flew. It was fantastic to catch up with old friends and make some new ones. A huge thank you to Oana Jones for organizing the conference and all the team at the Perpetual Gardens Planetarium at the Otago Museum. We would also like to thank all of our sponsors for making this another great conference.
A total lunar eclipse will be visible across Australia and parts of New Zealand on the evening of January 31. A number of planetariums and observatories will be hosting events, providing a great opportunity to share this grand experience with others.
Visit Sydney Observatory and use our telescopes to catch the best view of the upcoming lunar eclipse during a special late night tour.
Enjoy an evening of astronomy with telescope viewings* and stargazing. Discover the science of lunar eclipses and take a stroll through the Observatory after hours. Pack a late-night snack to bring with you and enjoy the view of the Southern Sky over the harbour.
TIME: 10:30pm January 31 – 1:30am February 1
COST: $40 adults, $32 concession, $32 child, $32 MAAS member, $28 MAAS member child
Bring a picnic dinner and hear from a special guest speaker as you enjoy the total eclipse of the Moon under a superb dark sky away from the light pollution of the city.
TIME: 7:30pm
COST: free
Come along for a special evening under the beautiful eclipsed Moon. The 3rd Rock Cafe will be open for dinner.
TIME: 9pm to late
COST: $10 adults, $8 concession, $5 student (under 18), $25 family 4 (2 adults + 2 children), $30 family 5 (2 adults + 3 children)
Stay up late to share in the wonder of watching Earth’s shadow engulf the Moon. Marvel at the vivid reminder that we are part of a much larger Universe with your expert guide – astronomer Dr Tanya Hill. Enjoy live Moon-inspired music from leading Melbourne Jazz identity Steve Sedergreen and be immersed in Moonwalk a fulldome artistic show about the history and cultural influence of the Moon.
TIME: 9.15pm January 31 – 12:30am February 1
COST: $40 adults
See a planetarium show, look through the telescopes, watch live streams, learn how to take your own astrophotography images of the Moon, grab something to eat at the food trucks on site and wander through our special ‘Lunar Exhibition’ in the Matariki Room.
In the early hours of the morning, witness the lunar eclipse alongside fellow lunar-enthusiasts! Get into your PJ’s (we won’t judge!) and bring the kids for this special event.
TIME: 8pm January 31 – 3am February 1
COST: $5
The Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium is looking to add one or two casual Planetarium Program Officer positions to present sessions in the facility’s Cosmic Skydome, conduct observatory sessions and carry out other duties. The roles are available to supplement permanent staff as needed.
Information is available via ‘Seek‘ and applications close on 10 November 2017.
Mark Rigby
Curator
Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium
If you missed it, below is a link to a recent four-minute ‘The Great Day Out’ segment on the SEVEN TV Network about Sir Thomas Brisbane and his astronomical associations. The second half was filmed at the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium.
http://thegreatdayout.com.au/family/sir-thomas-brisbanes-stars
There were a couple of errors, e.g. the presenter referenced Brisbane’s observatory as the first in Australia. William Dawes had his setup from 1788 to 1791.
Still, is was good publicity for us and it reflected in attendances following it. Likewise my previous post with the TODAY show crosses earlier this week on the National NINE Newtork.
Featured in the SEVEN TV segment is the bronze of Sir Thomas Brisbane created by Peter Doran, shown here at the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium last year. The bust is now in Brisbane’s City Hall.
Mark Rigby
Curator
Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium
It definitely wasn’t astronomy-friendly weather in Brisbane, Australia today, but we still had five national weather segment crosses from the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium on the Nine Network’s TODAY Show.
Because of Daylight Savings Time in some other states, it meant being at the Planetarium to meet the TV crew around 4am Brisbane time.
We couldn’t do a cross from outside because of the weather, so we did the first cross from next to one of the Apollo exhibits featuring the replica of Neil Armstrong’s lunar spacesuit and the 1/48th scale Saturn V.
The second cross was from some of the space exploration exhibits and the retired Zeiss Spacemaster projector.
The third cross was a challenge with real-time content on the dome in our Cosmic Skydome. Low light levels made it a challenge for the camera man and being too busy “flying” I was unable to get any photographs.
The fourth cross was with some meteorites and the weather presenter Natalia Cooper handling some meteorites and standing beside a 43.5kg Henbury meteorite.
The rain had stopped near the end of the TODAY show, so we were able to do the fifth and final cross from the Observatory.
It was all done at short notice, but it went well and we appreciate the national publicity.
Mark Rigby
Curator
Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium
Great day of full dome shows and fun!
Saturday March 25th 2017 – 10th Earth Hour
The night sky – beautiful, mysterious and “infinite”. The band of the Milky Way made up of numerous twinkling points of light. Over the years the night sky has “disappeared” and its wonders lay hidden behind the glow of light pollution from growing towns and cities.
Ballarat still has good views of the Night Sky. Overseas visitors from Germany, Japan, China, England and elsewhere, are amazed at the amount of stars they can see. As Ballarat grows, good planning is required to keep our night sky dark. By preserving our forests and green corridors, by addressing the growing electricity bill that Councils have and by being inventive in how this can be done with regard to reduced street lighting in environmentally friendly new developments and refurbishment of old suburbs, funds can be diverted into other areas for use by the community.
6.00pm Star-be-cue – Bring your own picnic or have something from the 3rd Rock Cafe.
7.00pm: Kinja- Ron Murray and Sarah James -The Kinja sound is an ethereal blend of Indigenous Australian and Celtic inspired moods.
Sarah and Ron feel that Kinja’s music unites their heritage. “People tend to be touched by hearing two musical cultures coming together and it seems to move people on that level “. Their haunting partnership of violin and didgeridoo transcends cultural differences.
The stunning back drop for the music is be provided by Alex Cherney, with time lapse photography of the Australian Landscape, Ocean Beaches, ASKAP Telescope and Parkes Radio Telescope, the night sky at it’s best.
Alex Cherney is a keen astronomer and photographer at night, with a particular passion in wide-field astrophotography. Alex loves the challenge of time-lapse imaging of night sky because it shows the motion of celestial bodies in relation to the landscape and helps connect viewers with the night sky. Spending the night under the stars and then sharing it with the world is one of the biggest rewards for him.
Alex Cherney
Alex Cherney travels throughout Australia to photograph the most beautiful landscapes under the stars of the Milky Way and loves to connect ocean, land and sky in his work. His images and videos have been published in well-known astronomy magazines and books, and won prestigious Australian and international awards. Alex is an active member of Mornington Peninsula Astronomical Society. He enjoys helping get people involved with astronomy at public and school viewing nights.
8.30pm: Join us at 8:30pm when the lights are switched off, to witness the beauty of the night sky.
More information http://observatory.ballarat.net/events/event/earth-hour-2017-starry-autumn-nights/
There are three, 4m diameter, iDomes available to a good home. They are currently dismantled and available (free) for pickup from Argenton (near Newcastle). If anyone is interested please send me an email. First come best dressed.
Shells only, not the projectors
I haven’t contributed to this group for a while so here are a few bits and pieces.
Two exhibitions to look out for this year, both employing the 6m diameter, 8 x high resolution projector system that is DomeLab. One will be in the National Maritime Museum in Sydney, the other in the National Museum in Canberra. If you are interested in the subject matter feel free to drop me an email.
iDomes are still going strong, installed this at ECU two weeks ago, nice bright high resolution projector (excuse the ceiling, not finished yet).
And finally, for those who may be interested in the opportunities of interactive movies in domes, I captured sheep shearing footage a few months ago from the Barossa valley (it’s tough work but someones got to do it). 360 interactive YouTube videos below, set the quality to high but even then it’s a poor representation of the originals which are 8000 pixels x 4000 pixel equirectangular projections, so a match to the creation of a 4K fisheye video.
If you are wondering what they are for, it is training of veterinary students. Obviously they can be interacted with online (as here), in domes such as the iDome, in cylindrical displays and of course head mounted displays.
Registration for the APS 2017 Conference to be held in Sydney & Wollongong is now open!
Registration is via the Event Brite link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aps-conference-2017-tickets-29962555811
