Scroll below for the following information



Details on the
- Night Sky & Telescope Tour,
- Late Show,
- Dawn - Planets Show.​
Times and dates​
Tickets & Prices- Dine & Discovery Voucher
Cancellation Policy, cloudy nights
Objects we see during the show
Best Dates to view the Planets, Eclipses & Transits
Wheel Chair access
Carers card policy​
Corona Virus restrictions and information


The Night Sky & Telescope Tour is held every evening weather permitting.
The session is for people 4 years and above. Children under 4 years of age are not permitted to attend.

Clear cloudless nights are the best.
The show is cancelled if it is overcast.

The session lasts for minimum 1 hour.

The session usually starts at 7pm in the month of May.

The time for tonight's shows are on the home page. For other dates, they are on the booking website.

The Night Sky & Telescope show includes

1: An Astronomy Presentation

2: Point out the Stars, Planets, and Constellations with a laser pointer.

3: Look through up to 9 telescopes (depending on numbers attending) at the stars, planets, nebulae, and galaxies. Objects we view are chosen from the list at the bottom of this page.

Highlights for May on moonless nights are Omega Centauri, a star cluster containing 10 million stars, and the Jewel Box Cluster. No planets are visible for the evening sessions until September.

Planets are visible in the Dawn Show (5am) with the highlights being Saturn, Mars, Saturn, & Jupiter.

4: Answer your astronomy questions.

5: Take one photo of a colourful nebula with your compatible DSLR camera or bring your SD card that fits our Canon RA mirrorless camera. We also sell SD cards in our gift shop.

Group size is maximum 50 people.

If you prefer a smaller group size, consider the Premium session which has a maximum limit of 6 people.

The session is suitable for people 4 years and up.
Children under 4 years of age are not permitted to attend.

The show is outdoors so you need to dress appropriate to the weather conditions. It is very cold in the Autumn and Winter months so you need to rug up and we recommend you wear a beanie and scarf as well.

The show is weather permitting. The status of tonight's show and weather forecasts are on the home page.

DAWN - PLANETS SHOW
This session is held before sunrise on selected mornings when the major planets are visible before sunrise. For example in April 2022 where Venus, Mars, Jupiter & Saturn are visible. The format is the same as the Night Sky & Telescope Session where deep sky objects are observed as well. The session is limited to 15 people.



Night Sky & Telescope Tour



Times and Dates






Note that start times can vary on certain nights but time confirmed upon booking.​​​​


Night Sky & Telescope Tour Times.

​​ ​​

January: 9pm

February: 8:45pm

March: 8:30pm


April: 6:45pm, 5am


May - September: 7pm

October: 8:30pm

November - December: 9pm

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This is an outdoor activity so you must dress according to the weather conditions.


In the warmer months, apply insect repellent before you come or wear enclosed shoes, long sleeves and long pants in case any mosquitoes are about.


In the winter months, please wear lots of warm clothes, a beanie, and a scarf.



Tickets






Tickets for the Night sky & Telescope Session, Late Show, and Dawn Show are purchased online from iwannaticket ticketing agency. There is a link on our bookings page.


Once you are on the ticketing site scroll down to select the month and session type. The Late Show & Dawn Show are listed in the Night Sky & Telescope Viewing sections.


Online tickets are available up to 1 hour before the start time for the first session of the night. The late show and dawn show is available online only and not at the door.


Unsold tickets are sold at the door 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of session 1.


NSW Discovery/Parent Vouchers can only be used for unsold tickets available at the door. Not available online as we cant refund them if the show is cancelled due to bad weather.


Tickets for the Late Show & Dawn-Planets session are available online only.


Every person regardless of age must have a ticket to attend. The show is not suitable for children under 5yrs of age, but if you bring them they must have a ticket to attend.


50 tickets are allocated for the Night Sky & Telescope Viewing Session.

35 Tickets for the Late Show.

15 Tickets for the Dawn - Planets Show.

Once the tickets are sold we cannot add extras.


If you prefer a session with less people, consider the Premium Session that has a max group size of 6.


You must arrive before start time, you wont be able to enter if you are late.


Select the bookings page to purchase tickets online.​





Prices






ONLINE PRICES

Adults: $30

Child U/16 yrs: $20

Plus a non-refundable booking fee.

Surcharge applies on public holidays


Late Show: $40 per person

Dawn - Planets Show: $50 per person



AT THE DOOR PRICES

$2 extra per ticket​ on top of online price.​



Cancellations, changes, refund policy






There is no refund if you cancel the session you have purchased tickets for unless we can resell your ticket. The ticketing fee is non-refundable. Contact us by email peter@dubboobservatory.com to cancel.


The tickets are not transferable to another session unless we can resell those tickets.


We recommend you purchase tickets when you know you can definitely come.


If you arrive after the scheduled start time, you wont be able to enter. There is no refund if this occurs.




Cancellation by Dubbo Observatory due to Bad Weather



A full refund is given if we cancel the show. (unless you have purchased a ticket with a gift card or credit note. In these case a new credit note is issued to be used for purchasing another ticket at a future session.)


The show maybe cancelled if the sky is overcast at start of the session and we dont think it will clear.

The show also maybe cancelled if the wind is too strong, raining, or threat of storms.

The show could be cancelled if the tour guide is too ill to attend.


A decision whether to proceed or not is made at the scheduled start time as often it can be cloudy during the day only to clear in the evening.


In some cases we may call it off earlier. In these cases we will have a notice on the homepage of our website listed under " Status of Tonights Show"

A text message is sent to the mobile phone number provided by the person who purchased the tickets if the show is cancelled. Do not leave a landine number when you book.


We recommend you only book a ticket if you are coming to Dubbo anywayfor other reasons as it can be a long way to come to find out the session is not proceeding.



Objects visible
May shows at 7pm





We plan to show you approx 12 objects from the following list.

What we show will depend on the location of the Moon which can hinder the visibility of galaxies and nebulae. The objects will be different for the Late Show.


Darkest Nights

1st to the 5th, 19th - 31st


Planets: nil


Comets: nil


Moon:

New Moon ....1st

First Qtr .........8th

Full Moon......16th

Visible for night show 6th - 17th


Comets: nil


Nebulae: Eta Carina Nebula (except on the nights around full moon)


Globular Clusters: Omega Centauri


Open Clusters: Jewel Box, Southern Beehive, Pincushion cluster


Binary Stars: Alpha Centauri, Acrux, Gamma Velorum


Galaxies: (Moonless nights) Sombrero Galaxy, Centaurus A


Planetary Nebulae: Ghost of Jupiter


Constellations: Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Crux


Asterisms: False Cross, Diamond Cross, Sickle


Astrophotograph with your compatible DSLR camera: Eta Carina Nebula. On bright Moon nights we image the Moon.



Objects visible
May shows at 5am
dawn - planets session





We plan to show you approx 12 objects from the following list.What we show will depend on the location of the Moon which can hinder the visibility of galaxies and nebulae. Partial cloud cover may put some objects out of view.
Darkest Nights1st to the 15th, 16th - 28th
Planets: Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune
Comets: nil
Moon:New Moon ....3rdFirst Qtr .........10thFull Moon......18thVisible for night show 16th - 27th
Comets: nil
Nebulae: Lagoon Nebula, Swan Nebula. (except on the nights around full moon)
Globular Clusters: 47 Tucanae, Omega Centauri
Open Clusters: Butterfly Cluster, Ptolemys Cluster, Jewel Box.
Binary Stars: Albireo, Alpha Centauri
Galaxies: (Moonless nights) Magellanic Clouds
Planetary Nebulae: Ring Nebula
Constellations: Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Hercules, Lyra, Cygnus, Crux
Asterisms: Southern Cross, Fish Hook, Teapot, Northern Cross
Astrophotograph with your compatible DSLR camera: Orion Nebula. On bright Moon nights we image the Moon.


Objects Visible June 7pm





We plan to show you approx 12 objects from the following list.


What we show will depend on the location of the Moon which can hinder the visibility of galaxies and nebulae. Partial cloud cover may put some objects out of view.


Darkest Nights 1st to the 2nd, 17th - 30th


Planets: nil


Comets: nil


Moon:

New Moon ....29th

First Qtr .........8th

Full Moon......14th

Visible for night show 3rd - 16th


Nebulae: Orion Nebula, Tarantula Nebula, Eta Carina Nebula (Not wee viewed on the nights around full moon)


Globular Clusters: Omega Centauri


Open Clusters: Southern Beehive, NGC 2362, Jewel Box, Pincushion cluster


Binary Stars: Alpha Centauri, Acux, Regor


Galaxies: (Moonless nights) Sombrero Galaxy, Centaurus A.


Planetary Nebulae: Ghost of Jupiter


Constellations: Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Crux, Hydra, Corvus.


Asterisms: Southern Cross, False Cross, Diamond Cross, Sickle, Hook.


Astrophotograph with your compatible DSLR camera: Eta Carina Nebula. On bright Moon nights we image the Moon.



Objects visible June 5am
dawn Planets show





We plan to show you approx 12 objects from the following list.

What we show will depend on the location of the Moon which can hinder the visibility of galaxies and nebulae. Partial cloud cover may put some objects out of view.


Darkest Dawn Shows 1st to the 13th, 27th - 30th


Planets: Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

Comets: nil


Moon:

New Moon ....29th

First Qtr .........8th

Full Moon......14th

Visible for the dawn show 14th - 26th


Nebulae: Tarantula Nebula (except on the nights around full moon)


Globular Clusters: 47 Tucanae


Open Clusters: Nil


Binary Stars: Nil


Galaxies: (Moonless nights) Silvercoin Galaxy, Large and Small Magellanic Clouds


Planetary Nebulae: Nil


Constellations: Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Pegasus.


Asterisms: Square of Pegasus.



Best time to view the planets, Eclipses, and Transits





Mercury

2022 - August


Venus

2023 - June


Mars

2022 - December

2023 - January - February


Jupiter:

2022 - Oct - Dec


Saturn:

2022 - Sept - Nov


Conjunctions:

Mar 3rd, 6am Saturn & Mercury

Mar 16, 6am Venus & Mars

Mar 22, 6am Jupiter & Mercury

Mar 28, 6am Saturn & Venus

Apr 5, 6am Saturn & Mars

May 1st, 6am Jupiter & Venus

May 29, 6am Jupiter & Mars


Lunar Eclipses

8th Nov 2022

14 Mar 2025

7 Sept 2025

3 Mar 2026

21 Dec 2028


Solar Eclipses

Partial Eclipse on Apr 20 2023 at 3:30pm to 4:20pm

Total Eclipse on 22 July 2028


Transit of Mercury

13 Nov 2032


Transit of Venus

10 Dec 2117



Corona virus restrictions information



The corona virus is highly infectious and is transmitted by inhaling or ingesting water droplets from that the infected person has exhaled (exhaling, talking, coughing, sneezing). This could be direct by getting to close to an infected person and breathing the air close to them or by touching a surface they have coughed or sneezed on.



Masks are optional.​


Please socially distance a minimum of 1.5 metres from other families and couples..

Please keep your family together. If you have children, keep them with you and not run around.


We recommend you wash or sanitise your hands on arrival. Please use as often as needed through the evening.

If you do need to sneeze or cough, please do so into your elbow

Hand sanitiser is available for you to use.



Wheelchair access





There is wheelchair access to the main building, a disabled toilet, the theatrette, and to the outside viewing platform where the outside telescopes are.
There is no wheelchair access to the observatory where the main 17"telescope is.
There is wheelchair access to the presentation and pointing out the stars and planets in the night sky with the laser pointer at the outside viewing platform.
There is an issue with looking through telescopes for customers confined to a wheel chair unless they can stand up briefly. The reason is
The height above ground level of the eyepiece of the telescope varies depending on how high above the horizon the star to view is located, If the star is overhead the eyepiece is at its lowest point and is more accessible. If the star is lower in the sky the eyepiece is much higher.. So it depends on how high the disabled customers eye is up from the ground and would be too low to view most objects through a telescope.
An alternative would be to hire a pair of our binoculars for that part of the tour.


Carers Card





There is no discount for Carers card holders at present.



Dubbo Observatory






17L Camp Rd, Dubbo, NSW, 2830


Peter@dubboobservatory.com
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Enquiries: 0488 425 940
Email: peter@dubboobservatory.com