Dear Macquarie University Association for Astronomy members,

January has come and gone and, as you know, our activities are still on break. We have however used the time to decide what we will put on offer this year.

We are currently discussing opening the planetarium on campus one afternoon a week to serve the school communities who may be unable to attend the evening observing sessions. We are also deciding the date for the next open night which will hopefully be towards the end of October, as last year. Finally, the planetarium will be featuring at many Macquarie events, even those formally unrelated to astronomy.

I am looking forward to seeing those of you who will visit us at the observatory and planetarium as we reopen for business in March.

Best Regards,

February 14^th, 7:00pm

Valentine's Night 2012 - Sydney Observatory

Enthral your loved one this Valentine's evening by visiting Sydney Observatory. Venus, Goddess of Love, is the focus for the 7pm twilight session. Jupiter and his lovers are featured in the 9pm session. More...

March 1^st, 6:30pm

Transit of Venus: 1631 to The Present - Australian Museum

In 2012, on 6 June we will have a second chance to witness one of the most famous astronomical events, a rare transit of Venus. This event takes place when, as seen from Earth, Venus crosses in front of the Sun. It occurs in pairs eight years apart and there is approximately one pair during each century. The transit of 2012 follows the one in 2004 and will be the last opportunity in our lifetime to see a transit. More...

Every day, 8:00pm

Public Observing Program - Sydney Observatory

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...

In the north-west is Jupiter, visible as a bright star-like object in Pisces. At 9 pm on the 27th, Jupiter is located next to the crescent Moon towards the north-west horizon. Venus is still visible low in the sky towards the west early in the evening. During the month, Venus is moving towards Jupiter, with Jupiter and Venus nearest to each other on the 29th. There is no first quarter Moon in February as it occurred on 31st January or will occur on 1st March. The best time to view the Moon using binoculars or a small telescope is a few days either side of the first quarter Moon. Visible in the sky are the constellations, Canis Major (the Great Dog), Orion (the Hunter) and Gemini (the Twins). Crux (the Southern Cross) remains low in the south-east.