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Astronomy, Astrophysics & Astrophotonics


Observatory


The Association for Astronomy and the Department of Physics & Astronomy invite you to observe the cosmos with your own eyes at the Macquarie University Astronomical Observatory. You will be guided through the night sky by professional astronomers and astronomy students. All are welcome! Click on the following links for more information.

 » Session Times
 » Costs & Bookings
 » How To Get Here
 » Telescopes
 » Teaching Activities
 » Research Activities
 » History of the Observatory
 » Photo Gallery


Friday night telescope viewings at the Astronomical Observatory begin on Friday, 02 March 2012. See details below.

Friday Night Telescope Viewing Sessions: March 2012


Date Session Time Tickets Observing is (On/Off)
02 March 2012 8:00-9:30 pm Book Here TBA
09 March 2012 8:00-9:30 pm Book Here
16 March 2012 8:00-9:30 pm Book Here
23 March 2012 8:00-9:30 pm Book Here
30 March 2012 8:00-9:30 pm Book Here

If the weather is bad, we will make a call by 5:00 pm on the day of the session and post it in the table above, as well as Facebook and Twitter or call 02 9850 8914 and listen for the automated response.


Session Times


The observatory is open to the public every Friday night from March to November inclusive (excluding public holidays). Sessions run from 8:00-9:30 pm during daylight savings, and 7:00-8:30 pm during the rest of the year.

During these sessions, we offer a "starfinder" (planisphere) session to demonstrate how to identify bright stars, constellations and planets. This is followed by observing with the telescopes. Even with the light pollution of the city, we can easily see double and multiple stars, open and globular star clusters, and the brighter nebulae. The Moon and planets, when in suitable positions, are easily viewed with any of our instruments. On dark, moonless nights with good seeing, we may also observe the brightest galaxies.

Tickets & Bookings


Bookings are essential: All tickets for admission are now sold online. Please visit our online booking system to purchase a ticket. Click on the Observatory link.

Tickets are $10 for adults, &4 for student/concession, and $30 for families. Children under 5 are free, but all require a ticket for entry. All prices are inclusive of GST, although a small booking fee is added by the system.

Tickets for current Association for Astronomy members are $6 for adults, free for children, and $15 for families. These also require tickets.

If the weather is bad, we will make a call by 5:00 pm on Friday as to whether or not the session is cancelled. If it is cancelled, we will post the cancellation on Facebook, Twitter, and on this webpage. You can also call 02 9850 8914 and listen for the automated message.

Free Friday-night visits are available to any lighting consultants and designers who would like to learn about the effects of poor lighting (for more information, visit the light pollution gallery).

How to Get Here


The Observatory is located within the grounds of Macquarie University, which can be found in any Sydney street directory. Access is via Gymnasium Rd., near the Culloden & Waterloo Roads roundabout (see map). There is on-campus parking in the N3 car park off Gymnasium Rd. Parking is free for the first two hours (with a ticket) and after 8pm.

A "Pay and Display" ticket must be acquired from the machine in the N3 car park. Without entering any coins, press the OK button to obtain your two-hour free parking ticket to be displayed on your dash. Parking fees for daytime parking in excess of two hours are strictly enforced and heavy fines are levied for non-payment.

Click here for a map or here for a Google Map.

Telescopes


 » 16" Meade Telescope - Effective focal length: 4064mm, Magnification with standard 26mm eyepiece: 150x. The telescope is used for public viewing on Friday nights and is used for group visits and research on other nights of the week.

 » 12" Meade GPS Telescope - Effective focal length: 2670mm, Magnification with standard 26mm eyepiece: 100x. This telescope is also used on Friday nights, and for group visits.

 » 8" Celectron C8 - Used on nights with very large groups.

 » 8" Dobsonian - Used on nights with very large groups.

 » 3.2-metre radio telescope - May be operated remotely from the physics computing laboratory on campus.

Teaching Activities


Radio Astronomy
The 3.2-metre radio telescope at the observatory is a small dish, suitable for observing the Sun. With radio astronomy we do not see an image, as with an optical telescope, but can map the signal strength in different directions on the sky. The main purpose of the radio telescope is to educate students in the basics of radio astronomy.

Optical Astronomy
Several of our astronomy units have an observing component, where students visit the observatory at night to observe planets, nebulae and clusters. There is some hope that this program will be expanded in future semesters to also include using the CCD camera for imaging.

Research Activities


Monitoring of Eta Carinae
Eta Carinae is classified as a Luminous Blue Variable (LBV) and shows a periodic dip in magnitude every 5.5 years. Students, as part of a voluntary project, monitor the changes in brightness using CCD imaging equipment at the Observatory.

Honours Research Projects
From time to time, one-year honours projects are conducted at the observatory. Optical astronomical equipment used in conjunction with the telescopes includes: CCD cameras for imaging and photometry; and a single-fibre spectroscope for obtaining object spectra.

History of the Observatory


The Macquarie University Observatory was originally constructed as a research facility but, since 1997, has also been accessible to the public through its Public Observing Program on Friday nights. The Observatory saw a record crowd on the night of 29th August 2003, with 667 visitors attending to observe the Opposition of Mars.

The Observatory was first opened in 1978. The Association for Astronomy was established in 1988 by Dr. Alan Vaughan to raise funds for further development of the Observatory, which was moved to its present site adjacent to Culloden Rd in the early 1990s. The second dome, which houses the 16" Meade telescope, was opened by Professor John Loxton on 3rd May 1997. Construction of this dome was funded by the Macquarie University and the Foundation for Astronomy (now the 'Association for Astronomy').

The Public Observing Program was operated from 1997 until the end of 2001 by a privately-operated business, Southern Skies Mobile Observatory. Since 1st January 2002, the Public Observing Program has been operated by astronomy undergrad and postgrad students. Much of this work is voluntary.