Scroll below for the following information



Details on the
-Night Sky & Telescope Tour,
Times and dates​
Tickets & Prices
Cancellation Policy, cloudy nights
Objects we see during the show
Best Dates to view the Planets, Eclipses & Transits
Wheel Chair access
Carer's card policy​



The Night Sky & Telescope Tour is held most evenings.

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

Clear cloudless & moonless nights are the best.

The session lasts for minimum 1 hour.

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 August are the planet Saturn and it's rings, on moonless nights are The Milky Way, Omega Centauri, a star cluster containing 10 million stars, and the Jewel Box Cluster.

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.

If it is overcast and we cant show you any objects through the telescopes, we just do our presentation in an extended version. If you have pre purchased a ticket we give you a $10 per ticket refund.
If it is raining at start time, we cancel the session and issue a refund.

Group size is maximum 55 people.

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

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.



Night Sky & Telescope Tour



Times and Dates






Note that start times can vary on certain nights (long weekends & School holidays, or special objects to view). The actual time is on the booking site.


Night Sky & Telescope Tour Evening Times.

​​


August: 7pm

closed on 9th.

11th, 12th: tickets sales suspended with bad weather forecasted.


September: 7pm


October: Varies from 7pm to 8:30pm.


November - January: 9pm


​We usually do not open on Full Moon Nights.


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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






We recommend you book on the day when you know you can definitely come. There is no refund if you cancel unless we can resell your ticket.


In school holidays you may want to book a day in advance at least as they can sell out.


Tickets are purchased online from iwannaticket ticketing agency.

There is a link on our bookings page.


You can purchase any unsold tickets for the Night Sky & Telescope Session at the door 15 minutes before start time.


NSW Parent Vouchers can only be used for unsold tickets available at the door. Not available online sorry.


Children under 4 years of age are not permitted to attend.


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


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.

Door usually opens 15 mins before start time unless we are held up from a session before.


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


Pension Card Holders: Purchase an adult ticket and we will give you back $2 once you present your pension card when you arrive.​


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AT THE DOOR PRICES

Adult: $32​

Child 4 to 16 yrs: $22

Pension Card Holder: $30

Carer's Card Holder: $22


Surcharge applies on public holidays



Cancellations, changes, refund policy






Tickets cant be moved to a different session.


There is no refund if you decide unless we can resell your ticket. The ticketing fee is non-refundable.


Contact us by email peter@dubboobservatory.com to cancel.


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.​



Overcast and rainy nights




If it is overcast & we cant show you any objects through the telescopes, we just do our extended version of the presentation. This costs $10 less per ticket. If you have pre-purchased a ticket we give you a $10 per ticket refund.

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If it is raining at start time we cancel the session and issue a refund.

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 Tonight's 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 landline number when you book.


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



Objects Visible August 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 15th to 29th


Planets: Saturn


Comets: nil


Moon:

Visible in the night show: 1st - 13th

New Moon ....27th

First Qtr .........7th

Full Moon......12th


Nebulae: (moonless sessions) Lagoon Nebula, Swan Nebula


Globular Clusters: (not visible around full moon) Omega Centauri, 47 Tucanae, Hercules Cluster.


Open Clusters: Jewel Box, Butterfly Cluster, Gem Cluster, Pincushion cluster, Ptolemy's Cluster, NGC 6231.


Binary Stars: Alpha Centauri, Acux


Galaxies: (Moonless nights) Centaurus A.


Planetary Nebulae: Nil


Constellations: Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Hercules, Corona Australis, Crux


Indigenous Constellations: The Emu, Stingray, Possum, Canoe, Fire Sticks, Eagle.


Asterisms: Southern Cross, Hook, Teapot, Southern Triangle


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



Objects visible Sept 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 13th to the 29th.


Planets: Saturn.

Comets: nil


Moon:

New Moon ....26th

First Qtr .........3rd

Full Moon......10th

Visible during the show 1st - 12th


Nebulae: (at their best on moonless sessions, not visible around full moon)

Lagoon Nebula, Swan Nebula


Globular Clusters: 47 Tucanae, Hercules Cluster.


Open Clusters: Jewel Box, Butterfly Cluster, Ptolemy's Cluster, NGC 6231


Binary Stars: Albireo, Alpha Centauri, Beta Tucanae


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


Planetary Nebulae: (Moonless Sessions) Ring Nebula, Dumbbell Nebula


Constellations: Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Corona Australis, Cygnus, Lyra, Crux.


Indigenous Constellations: The Emu (moonless nights), Stingray, Possum, Mallee Fowl.


Asterisms: Southern Cross, Northern Cross, Southern Triangle, Southern Crown, Teapot, fish hook.


Astrophotograph with your compatible DSLR Camera. Lagoon Nebula on moonless nights, otherwise The Moon.



Objects Visible october 7pm, 8pm daylight Saving





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 11th to 29th


Planets: Saturn, Jupiter


Comets: nil


Moon:

Visible in the night show: 1st - 10th, 30th, 31st

New Moon ....25th

First Qtr .........3rd

Full Moon......9th


Nebulae: (moonless sessions only) Lagoon Nebula, Swan Nebula


Globular Clusters: (moonless nights only) 47 Tucanae,


Open Clusters: Butterfly Cluster, Ptolemy's Cluster, NGC 6231.


Binary Stars: Albireo


Galaxies: (Moonless nights) Sculptor Galaxy


Planetary Nebulae: (Moonless Nights) Ring Nebula, Dumbbell Nebula


Constellations: Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Lyra, Cygnus, Delphinus, Corona Australis.


Indigenous Constellations: The Emu, Canoe, Eagle.


Asterisms: Hook, Teapot, Circlet


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



Objects visible October Session 2 school Hols





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 13th to the 29th.


Planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune

Comets: nil


Moon:

New Moon ....25th

First Qtr .........3rd

Full Moon......9th

Visible during the show 1st - 12th


Nebulae: (moonless nights)

Lagoon Nebula, Swan Nebula


Globular Clusters: (Moonless Nights) 47 Tucanae.


Open Clusters: Butterfly Cluster, Ptolemy's Cluster, NGC 6231


Binary Stars: Albireo, Beta Tucanae


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


Planetary Nebulae: (Moonless Sessions) Dumbbell Nebula


Constellations: Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Corona Australis, Cygnus, Delphinus, Pegasus.


Indigenous Constellations:


Asterisms: Circlet, Square of Pegasus, Southern Crown, Teapot,.


Astrophotograph with your compatible DSLR Camera. Lagoon Nebula on moonless nights, otherwise The Moon.



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



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





Carers Card holders who bring someone with a disability pay the child entry price.


If you are a disability organisation who bring your group regularly, contact us for rates.



Dubbo Observatory






17L Camp Rd, Dubbo, NSW, 2830


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