Similar to the Premium Session but for yourself or your own family or group of friends.
You do not share this session with anyone else.
Session goes for 90 minutes to 2 hours depending on numbers attending.
There is no age limit in this section, but children must be strictly supervised.
Whats Included
Expert guided view of the Night Sky
View stars, nebulae, & galaxies through our telescopes. If there are any planets visible, we will show you those as well.
Astronomy presentation.
Use of a pair of binoculars and a tour of the night sky for groups of 6 people or smaller. (not for larger group sizes)
Live view of distant galaxies using a CCD camera on our largest telescope.
Optional extra: If you bring a compatible DSLR camera or compatible mirrorless camera, we can take images of nebulae, galaxies, and star clusters through the telescope.
Compatible cameras are Canon or Nikon DSLR cameras. Sony mirrorless. Canon mirrorless if you have an adaptor to fit DSLR lenses.
Alternatively you can use our Canon RA (modified for astronomy if you bring your SD card here).
You must know the settings on your camera, manual, ISO, exposure time, ability to zoom in on the back screen with live view, bulb setting if you bring a remote shutter release.
6″ x 4″ picture of an object we have taken through our telescope. 1 per person. (10:30pm session only)
Prices
For Sessions after the completion of the Night Sky & Telescope Viewing Sessions
1 person $200
2 to 4 people: $175 per person
5 to 6 people: Total of $700. Extras $115 per person (binoculars will not be available for extras)
For larger groups, see here for Large Group Bookings
Dates
We prefer to run these sessions between 3rd qtr and 1st qtr moon phase when the Moon has minimal impact on the sky brightness so we can maximise what we can show you. We can run this on bright moon nights but be aware we cannot see the fainter objects like nebulae and galaxies on these nights.
February: 10pm 24th to the 28th
April:
- 9:30pm: 1st to 5th
- 8:30pm: 6th
- 9:45pm: 22nd to 27th
Bookings
Tickets are purchased by emailing the observatory at [email protected] or call 0488 425 940
Cancellations
Cancellations by the Customer:
You can cancel by only emailing me at [email protected] 3 days notice is required for you to receive a refund excluding the small booking fee. If less than 3 days notice is given, a refund is only given if we can resell the tickets.
If you wish to move your ticket to another date, the same rules apply as above for cancellations.
Cancellation by the Observatory
We may cancel the show if the sky is overcast or it is raining.
The show may also be cancelled if there is an equipment failure or the guide is sick.
If we cancel the show, a refund is issued.
What will you see through a telescope
What you see depends on the time of night and time of year.
Planets are not always visible as this changes through the night and time of year, and that varies in different years.
It will also depend on how bright the sky is. This depends on if the Moon is visible during the show and what phase it is. The fainter objects like nebulae and galaxies are generally not visible around Full Moon and impacted on phases greater than First Quarter.
It also depends on the amount of cloud cover. The clearer the sky is the more objects we see.
Astrophotographs dont work when the Moon is at phases between 1st Quarter and 3rd Quarter Moon.
A list of objects we plan to show for this month are listed below. This is for 11:30am. If the show is brought forward, the list would change.