Hello from Hong Kong! I am on my way back from Beijing where I took part to a workshop on interacting binaries. The workshop was hosted by the Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, a 3-year old centre funded by the generosity of the Kavli Association. It is a truly remarkable place with many Chinese and non-Chinese astronomers, located at the heart of an incredible city. Chinese astronomy stands in a class of its own, with a tremendous potential but also victim of a certain isolation which initiatives such as the Kavli Institute will help to ameliorate. There is no doubt in my mind that in the next decade China will be as important in astronomy as in every other facet of life.

While at the Institute I found encouraging that several people had heard of Macquarie astronomy, either because they knew specific group members or because they had visited the neighbouring AAO or ATNF. The next few years will be very important to position ourselves prominently in the international scene. In this respect, the new Macquarie Astronomy Research Centre, headed by Professor Quentin Parker will play an important role. With this, I leave you for another month. Enjoy the semester break and Easter holidays.

Australia is a partner in the Giant Magellan Telescope project, a program to build an extremely large optical/infra-red telescope in Chilean Andes. The telescope will not only provide a large light collecting area but will also use precision adaptive-optics to counter the effects of the earths atmosphere and generate observations at the diffraction limit of the 24meter primary mirror.

The proposed Square Kilometre Array radio telescope is set to revolutionise our understanding of the universe. Join astronomer and broadcaster Professor Fred Watson (Australian Astronomical Observatory) and Australian Laureate Fellow, Professor Bryan Gaensler (University of Sydney) to hear the latest about the SKA project, its amazing discovery potential and why Australia and New Zealand is a great place to host it.

The speaker began study of the sun in the H-alpha band on June 23, 2001. Within minutes the Lumicon filter had revealed prominences, surface filaments, and a small but brilliant flare. The filter worked! I was not to know that the peak of flaring for solar cycle 23 lay two and a half years in the future (late 2003) and flaring would be sustained well into 2007. And over that time hundreds of flares and ejection events were to be logged - an extraordinary adventure in daytime astronomy. .More...

On clear nights, 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. More...

Sydney Observatory is open every night (session times vary) and day (10am to 5pm) except Christmas Day and Good Friday. The links at left have all the information you need to plan your visit. Charges apply to night and day telescope viewing sessions which include visits to the telescope domes, telescope viewing* and 3D space theatre experience - guided and explained by one of the Observatory's astronomy educators. More...