Includes information on meetings, activities and events around Australia
Inaugural Star Party
What is StarFest?
StarFest is the name under which the Festival of the Stars events run by Siding Spring Observatory are known. StarFest will include the usual events of the Bok Lecture, Science in the Pub and the SSO Open day – and this year introduces a Star Party so people can participate in sky tours, telescope education and so much more. If you want to know more about StarFest events as new is released then click here to sign up to the StarFest newsletter!
Science in the Pub: A new format for the Science in the Pub event. Dr Fred Watson will be MC with a panel made up of Nobel prize winner Dr Brian Schmidt and other luminaries from Aussie Astronomy debating the topic of the day. It will be held in a bigger venue with food and refreshments. Seating over 200 in comfort. Prizes, Raffles, Trivia, Music and Astro Fun for the public.
The Annual Bok Lecture: This year the lecture will be held inside the huge AAO 4 meter telescope dome on the afternoon of the open day.. Its a spectacular venue. Dr Brian Schmidt is presenting the public astronomy lecture.
The SSO Weekend StarGaze: A new feature this year will be the return of the local star party associated with the SSO open day. We are calling it the SSO Stargaze. A casual starparty for the the amateur astronomy community to gather at the foot of the SSO mountain and use and view telescope of all shapes and sizes under the amazing skies we have at Siding Spring.
We will have professional astronomers doing the rounds of the telescope field and actually looking through eyepieces and discussing the skies with the public! Camping on site. or accommodation nearby at local motels & cabins. The SSO site is of course open to the public for tours and telescope inspections, with astronomy talks by scientist types, food and magic views of the re-greening National Park from the peak.
** I’ll be present for the 3 days giving astronomy talks, night viewing and generally helping out make he entire weekend a success.
How To Get There
Coonabarabran sits conveniently on the Newell and Oxley highways, which means there is good access from all over the country.
If you are driving then use the map for directions or set your GPS and go.
If you are flying?
Dubbo regional airport is the closest airport with several flights daily. Hire a car in Dubbo, or organise to be picked up.
More Information…. https://www.facebook.com/
Web: http://www.starfest.org.au/
The Grand American Astronomical Experience
with Australian Astronomer Cris Ellis
The Mauna Kea telescope Complex
Travel with one of the world’s leading tour specialist companies – Tempo Holidays. Experience a custom designed tour achieving access unavailable to the public – custom designed & lead by Australian astronomy specialist Cris Ellis. Get access to the world’s Biggest, Best & Highest Tech telescopes
It simply doesn’t get better than this !!
Featuring:
* Hawaii – Honolulu, Waikiki beach, Mauna Kea and it’s massive telescopes – such as Keck, Subaru, Gemini North, UK Infrared Telescope & US Infrared Telescope
* Plus visit Mt Kilauea (active volcano)
* Los Angeles – A tour of this fabulous city, plus some free time to take in some of the extra attractions
– PLUS – Mount Palomar Observatory
– PLUS – Night Sky Viewing on the world’s most powerful visual telescope at Mt Wilson Observatory (an opportunity of a lifetime, and NOT to be missed !!)
* Las Vegas – The world’s best enterainment shows, Wondertul Nightlife – Plus the Grand Canyon
* Flagstaff Arizona – Lowell Observatory, the wonderful telescope that discovered Pluto !! PLUS – Meteor Crater, and some of the most beautiful countryside in all the USA
* Tucson Arizona – Gunsligner Central, the heart of the Wild West – including the world’s most powerful new telescope “Large Binocular Telescope” on Mt Graham (Full Day Tour), and the largest observatory in the USA, Kitt Peak (including the world’s largest Solar Telescope)
* Orlando, Florida – A tour of this fabulous city, plus some free time to take in some of the extra attractions
* PLUS – Full Day Tour of Kennedy Space Centre, seeing the world’s largest “Rocket Field”, Atlantis Shuttle (just arrived Dec 2012), Shuttle simulator, Apollo 14 capsule, the largest collection of space memorabilia from the Space Race that there is on earth – PLUS – Dinner at Kennedy Space Centre with an Astronaut
Note: We have specially arranged access to locations & facilities that are unavailable to the public, and tours at some sites that are specifically arranged for our tour group. This tour is a major new innovation and is – Unique – Here’s your opportunity to link with an Astronomy Specialist and join the Astronomy Tour of a Lifetime
BOOKINGS NOW OPEN – Don’t miss out !! (Note: Purchase is not available on our webstore)
Bookings only available with Tempo Holidays, South Melbourne
Please call or email for details in this unique and unforgettable tour
Timing – 4 – 22 October 2013
Elevation note: The elevation of Mauna Kea is 13,000 feet and Mt Graham is 10,500 feet, the other observatories are not at these lofty heights, at around 5,000 feet
Tour Partner – Tempo Holidays Pty Ltd
Note – Bookings only available with Tempo Holidays Pty Ltd
ABN 51 007 331 213 Vic License 31341
Please email to register your interest in this unqiue and unforgettable tour – and we will provide you with updates as available
Timing – October 2013
For all enquiries please contact us on
Phone: (03) 9576 5325
Mobile: 0412 318 125
Email: sales@astronomyalive.com.au
Gamma-ray Bursts and Energetic Astrophysics
Wednesday 5th of June 2013 at 8pm
Kerr Grant Lecture Theatre 2nd Floor, Physics Building University of Adelaide North Terrace, Adelaide
Professor Roger Clay
School of Chemistry & Physics
University of Adelaide
We know that our Universe produces high energy particles whose energies have been measured up to almost a billion times higher than is accessible with the Large Hadron Collider, man’s most sophisticated particle accelerator. Unfortunately, we know of no object in Nature capable of such particle acceleration. Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs), which were discovered in the 1960s, may be Nature’s most powerful single objects and so it is natural to wonder if they are the acceleration sources.
This talk will examine our understanding of Nature’s highest energy particles and see how they might be produced by Nature’s most powerful objects. This isn’t easy as we are considering processes well beyond those accessible in our laboratories, but the exploration will help us to clarify our ideas about the energies and the energy balances in our Universe.
Free – visitors welcome. For further information visit: http://www.assa.org.au/ or contact the Publicity Officer on: 0402 079 578 or at starmanzone@adam.com.au
The 12th ASDC is rapidly approaching and registration has opened at our website www.asdc.nssa.com.au.
The Conference promises to provide a significant array of speakers on a number of hot topics with speakers coming from Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, the US, and Europe. The event will provide a great opportunity to gain insight on regional space activities and to develop potential links for collaboration. It will also provide updates and insights on the key issues across Satellite Communications, Earth Observation and Satellite Navigation as well as offering an array of perspectives including those from a commercial, civilian and defence perspective.
Register now to secure your place at the event.
Kirby Ikin Chairman, 12th ASDC
We are now accepting abstracts for the 13th Australian Space Science Conference (ASSC), to be held in Sydney at the University of New South Wales. This will be the seventh ASSC jointly sponsored and organised by the National Committee for Space Science (NCSS), the National Space Society of Australia (NSSA), and Mars Society Australia with the support of the Australian Space Research Institute (ASRI) The ASSC is intended to be the primary annual meeting for Australian research relating to space science and engineering. It welcomes contributions related to Space from scientists, engineers, educators, and workers in Industry and Government.
This year the ASSC may be run in association with Engineers Australia, the Mars Society of Australia’s AMEC meeting, and the National Committee for Radio Science
The scope of the conference covers fundamental and applied research that applies to space technologies, and includes the following:
· Space science, including space and atmospheric physics, Earth observation and remote sensing from/of space, planetary sciences, astrobiology and life sciences, and space-based astronomy and astrophysics
· Space engineering and technology, including communications, navigation, space operations, propulsion, and spacecraft design, testing, and implementation
· Space industry
· Government, international relations and law
· Space archaeology and heritage
· Current and future Australian space projects
· Education and outreach, including a dedicated student session
· Mars Exploration
There will be a number of special sessions, including (1) successful, submitted, and future applications for Australian Space Research Program funding, (2) the national context, as seen by the Space Policy Unit, other Government entities, the Academy of Science, and others, including connections to national strategic roadmaps for research infrastructure, (3) implementation of the 2010 – 2019 Decadal Plan for Australian Space Science, the Strategic Plan for Earth Observations from Space and other space-related strategic plans.
For the abstract and paper guidelines, and for online submission, go to URL www.nssa.com.au/ocs/index.php?cf=15
Key Dates
• Opening date for ASSC abstracts 7 April 2013
• Closing date for ASSC abstracts 17 July 2013
• Registration opens 22 July 2013
• Acceptance of ASSC abstracts 31 July 2013
• Conference Starts 30 September 2013
• Closing date for full written ASSC papers 4 November 2013
Please make the conference known to your colleagues. We hope that you will attend.
You may email asscconference@nssa.com.au for more information.
Wayne Short, Co-Chair, National Space Society of Australia
Iver Cairns, Co-Chair, University of Sydney
