Night Sky and Telescope Viewing

This session operates on most nights.

The best nights are clear nights. The clearer the sky the more objects we see through the telescopes.

Duration: minimum of 1 hour.

It is suitable for ages 8 years and above.

Children under 5 years are not permitted sorry.

Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Maximum group size is 50 people.

The show is outdoors. Please dress according to the weather conditions.

You need to be able to stand to be able to view through a telescope. There may be a step or two to take up a step ladder on occasions.

The Night Sky & Telescope Viewing Session includes:

1: A 30 minute informative astronomy presentation under the stars.

2: Answer your astronomy questions.

If the sky is clear (not overcast) we do the following, otherwise if overcast we do our extended astronomy presentation instead.

3: Point out the available Stars, Planets, Satellites, & Constellations.

4: View the Stars, Star Clusters, & Galaxies through telescopes if the sky is clear. If the Moon or any planets are visible, we show you those as well.

5: Show a live image projected on the observatory building of a galaxy or nebula, or other deep sky object if the object.

6: How to navigate using the stars.

7: If you bring a Canon, Nikon, Sony DSLR camera with a removeable lens, we take one photo of a colourful nebula on Moonless nights. On bright moon nights we photograph the Moon. You must know your camera settings. For more details read further below. It is one photo per camera, not per person. If you wish to take more photos, choose the Premium Session or Astrophotography session.

We show you as many objects as we can in the hour.

What can be observed through the telescopes depends on the time of night, time of year, how bright the sky is due to the Moon, & the amount of cloud cover. Note that planets are not always visible all year round.

There will be at least 1 telescope available for every 6 people to avoid long queues.

On nights around Full Moon, the sky is too bright to view the galaxies and some nebulae. We will show you live images of these with our telescopes.

Cloudy & Rainy Nights:

If it is overcast or raining at start time of the show you have there are 2 options;

Option 1: Continue with the session doing an extended presentation instead. If we cannot show you anything through a telescope by the end of the session due to cloud cover or rain we issue you a 50% refund excluding the booking fee.

Option 2: We can move your ticket to a different session in the next 3 years where there is availability and is of equal monetary value. This is non-refundable in the future. This is transferable to other people if you cannot attend in the future. If the session you are moving to is in the same month we issue a credit note which you use to buy another ticket with the ticketing agency. Otherwise we will send you an email with a code with instructions how to book a future ticket directly with the observatory.

Note you must attend for these options. If it is raining an hour before start time and looks like it will continue to rain during the session we may text you asking which option you want to save you a trip if you want option 2.

When to Book:

We recommend you book on the day when you know what the weather is doing. It rarely sells out except in school holidays or a long weekend.

During school holidays the shows can sell out so best to book a few days in advance.

During long weekends you may need to book a week in advance to get into the first session, a few days before for later sessions.

Prices:

Prices for tickets purchased online. These are available unless sold out up to an hour before start time.

Adults: $30 + booking fee.

Child under 16 years: $20 + booking fee.

Children under 5 years are not permitted.

A surcharge applies on public holidays and on shows after 10pm.

Price for Tickets purchased direct from the observatory are $5 extra per person.

Any unsold tickets are sold at the door. These are $5 extra per ticket.

Times & Dates:

Times may vary, exact time confirmed on the booking page.

May: 7pm

June: Usually 7pm, but can vary so check the home page for tonight or the online booking page

June Long Weekend: 6:15pm, 7:45pm, 9:15pm

June 11th 4:45am – only session where you can view the planets Jupiter and Saturn

June 24 to June 30: 6:30pm, 8pm

July School Holidays: 6:30pm, 8pm

What to Wear:

We are outdoors so dress to the weather conditions.

Please wear enclosed shoes. No shoes with flashing lights please as they affect the viewing experience.

In the warmer months we can get some mosquitoes at dusk. Please apply insect repellant before you arrive on any uncovered areas.

In the colder months it can be very cold. A beanie, scarf and gloves can really make a difference.

Bookings:

There are 50 tickets available in a session. 1 ticket per person.

We recommend you book on the day when you know what the weather is doing. The less cloud cover there is the more we see through the telescopes.

It can sell out in school holidays where you may need to book a day or two in advance. You may wish to book further in advance for long weekends as well as the days xmas & New Year. Otherwise it is very rare to sell out.

Discount Tickets are purchased from the iwannaticket booking agency. These are available up to an hour before start time. Click on the PURCHASE TICKETS BUTTON below.

Tickets can also be purchased directly from the observatory more than a week ahead and avoid the booking fee. Email starr_peter@hotmail.com

If you are booking using a credit from a previously cancelled session please call Peter at the Observatory on 0488 425 940 before 5pm.

Any unsold tickets are sold at the door 15 mins before start time at $5 extra per ticket.

Once a ticket is purchased, it cannot be refunded or moved to another session. Choose your session date and time carefully.

Cancellation by the Customer:

More than 7 days notice: A credit is given to attend a different session of the same value within the next 3 years.

If less than 7 days notice is given, a credit to another session is only given if we can resell your ticket.

To cancel, please email starr_peter@hotmail.com. Do not email the booking agency as it may take a few days for them to respond and will be too late.

Cancellation by the Observatory:

If we cancel the show a full refund is issued.

The show can be cancelled for the following reasons;

Power outage, sick tour guide.

Astrophotography Camera Requirements:

If you bring a Canon, Nikon, Sony DSLR Camera that has a removeable lens, we can take a photo of a colourful nebula on moonless nights if it is a clear night.

We attach your camera with our adapter to fix to the telescope.

We can also take mirrorless canon and sony cameras that have a removeable lens.

Alternatively, if you bring a standard size SD card we can use our camera.

We sell standard size SD cards as well. You can have 2 photos taken if you purchase one of our SD cards.

You will need to know your camera settings before you come. e.g. manual setting, ISO, exposure time, live view, live view can be magnified, a photo can be taken with the lens removed. If you don’t know your settings we may not be able to take a photo for you as I do not know all camera models.

The live view must be able to be magnified otherwise the photo taken will be out of focus. Try this before you come as there will be no time to work this out.

Wheelchair Access:

There is wheelchair access to the main building and the outside telescope areas.

There is no wheelchair access to the observatory where the largest telescope is.

You will only be able to view through a telescope if you can briefly stand.

If you are confined to the wheelchair and can’t view through the telescopes, you can use a pair of binoculars we have and we can show you objects to view. This would be a similar view you would see through our smallest telescope.

We have a toilet that is accessible.

When are the planets visible (First session):

Planets are not visible all of the time. They are visible at certain times of the year and is different every year.

Mercury: 2023 December 6 is best.

Venus: Not visible 2023 and 2024. 2025 October to December

Mars: 2023 April but appears very small due to its distance. Not visible in 2024. 2025 March to June is best.

Jupiter: Mid November 2022 to February 2023

Saturn: 2023 September to December

When is the Milky Way Visible? (First session):

June to September on moonless nights