Dear Macquarie University Foundation for Astronomy members,

In May, the department has been intent on lecturing and we are now coming to the end of the semester with exam time right around the corner. A few more post-doctoral and student members of the astronomy group have been hired and will join us later in the year, so the group is truly growing. We have finally decided what planetarium we would like to buy and we are now gearing up to order it, so I hope it will arrive in time for Open Night on November 5. Finally, we had one of the first meetings of the Women in Astronomy chapter of the Astronomical Society of Australia aimed at making women feel they can have an Astronomy career and a family, without having to make extreme sacrifices or unacceptable compromises. It must be said that Astronomy has traditionally been very proactive compared to other physical sciences.

And with this I leave you for another month.

Best Regards,

June 2^nd, 7:30 pm

Introduction to Astronomy - Lesa Moore - Astronomical Society of NSW

After another successful I2A course in February 2011, this year hosted at TARA Anglican School for Girls at North Parramatta, Lesa has agreed to give a further series of lectures on topics requested by I2A participants in 2010 and 2011. There are no prerequisites for this course.

Optics - Lenses, mirrors, diffraction, interference, eyepieces, telescopes aberrations.

The Physics of Space Travel - Use simple equations to figure out neat stuff;

Relativity - Special Relativity basics, and an introduction to General Relativity;

Astrobiology and SETI - Is there Life elsewhere in the Universe, and Can we ever find it?

June 6^th, 6:30 pm

Surveying the Universe - Sydney Observatory

Professor Matthew Colless, Director of the Australian Astronomical Observatory, will explain how mapping the Universe in various ways provides rich information about how it formed and evolved, what it is made of, and how it might end.

He will talk about the observations that shape our current understanding of cosmology and how they illuminate the properties of the Universe we live in. Professor Colless will also describe new experiments and telescopes that will address some of the main unanswered questions, such as the nature of the mysterious dark matter and dark energy that dominate our Universe.

June 14^th, 6:30 pm

Night Talk: Poles Apart - Australian Museum

The Earth's poles are different from the rest of the planet. Earth is not alone, and polar regions throughout the Solar System are unusual. Join Eureka Prize winner,  Fred Watson for a journey through the Solar System's polar jewels. .

June 16^th, 4:00 am

Blood red Moon - total lunar eclipse - Sydney Observatory

Do you prefer the darkness of the night? Enjoy the sight of a blood red moon? Pasty complexion? This is the perfect super late night event for lovers of the night. A total lunar eclipse. See the full Moon fade from sight as the Earth's shadow sweeps across it. Totality from 5:22am will see the Moon turn deep ruddy, bloody red until twilight sends us scurrying off to sleep. The event will end at Sunrise.

Every Friday, 7:30pm

Dark energy and the runaway Universe - Powerhouse Museum

Observations of very distant exploding stars show that the expansion of the Universe is now speeding up, rather than slowing down due to gravity as expected. Other completely independent data strongly supports this amazing conclusion. Over the largest distances, our Universe seems to be dominated by a repulsive 'dark energy' - an idea Albert Einstein had suggested in 1917 but renounced in 1929 as his 'biggest blunder'. Dark energy stretches the very fabric of space itself, faster and faster with time. But the physical origin of dark energy is unknown, and is often considered to be the most important unsolved problem in physics. In this talk, Professor Filippenko will talk about how it may provide invaluable clues to a unified quantum theory of gravity. More...

Every Friday, 7:30pm

Macquarie University Observatory - Public Observing Program

On clear nights, we offer a "starfinder" 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...

Every day, 6:00pm

Sydney Observatory - Public Observing Program

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...