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Hi all

The IceInSpace Astrocamp 2010 (IISAC2010) is now only 3 months away, and bookings are now open.

Head to the IISAC2010 Info Page and click the link that opens the booking form. Get your bookings in early to secure the early-bird discount.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Order your Astronomy Calendar 2011 now!

IceInSpace is offering the Astronomy Calendar 2011 by Astrovisuals for sale. The calendars are only $18 each (includes postage within Australia), and you can get a 10% discount if you order 2 or 3 in the same order.

Benefits of ordering your calendar through IceInSpace:

1. Low cost (10% discount if you order 2 or 3 in the same order)
2. Delivery to your door (within Australia)
3. You support IceInSpace!
4. IceInSpace stickers included free (while stocks last)

Find out more, and place your order from the Astronomy Calendar 2011 Info page.

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IceInSpace has been a-buzz with loads of images posted from Saturday nights Partial Lunar Eclipse.

It seems most states had favourable weather, and there's a bunch of new threads in the Solar System forum with composite images, animated gifs and HDR images from the eclipse.

Head on over and check them out.

Have you posted your images yet?

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Hi all

Chris (Omaroo) and I have started discussing the IceInSpace Compendium 2010, but before we got too far into the discussions, we felt it would be great to release the 2009 Compendium as a PDF - available to freely download and view.

The downloadable PDF is security protected - meaning it can be viewed, but is not able to be printed.

We wanted to share the 2009 Compendium with those that may not have been able to buy it at the time, or maybe you're one of the hundreds of new members that have registered since the Compendium was originally done.

This is our way of giving something extra back to the community and our hope is that by viewing the 2009 Compendium, it will get everyone inspired and motivated for the IceInSpace Compendium 2010!

You can download the zipped 12meg PDF here:
IceInSpace e-Compendium 2009

If the PDF version inspires you and you want to purchase a hard-copy, the 2009 books are still available for purchase for the discounted price of AU$45 posted within Australia, or AU$55 posted to international addresses.

Buy the IceInSpace Compendium 2009 hard copy.

More information on the IceInSpace Compendium 2010 will come shortly!

Cheers and thanks.

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In breaking news, Anthony Wesley reports another impact on Jupiter, this morning. In his words:

".. at approximately 20:30utc this morning I recorded a large fireball on Jupiter, it lasted a couple of seconds and was very bright.

This was a large fireball, but it doesn't seem to have left any mark, probably all gone in the upper atmosphere before it reached the clouds."

His preliminary image (a raw frame from the video) is shown below. The fireball can be seen in the upper left of frame. A link to Anthony's video and more details is posted on Anthony's site here: Jupiter Impact June 3 2010.

Stay tuned to IceInSpace for more, and for discussions, Anthony's breaking news thread is here.

Chris Go from the Phillipines was also recording Jupiter at the same time, and his video shows the impact - confirming that something definitely struck Jupiter! Chris was recording in the Blue channel, while Anthony was recording in the Red channel.

It's expected that a debris mark will be left behind during the next rotation of that longitude, and planetary astrophotographers will be on the lookout to record any dark spots left from the impact.

From Sky&Telescope:

"The location where the event occurred corresponds to the central meridian 300.1° system I, 34.1° system II, and 210.6° at system III, latitude 16° south. The region should be visible from about 4:00 to 6:30 UT on June 4th, favoring observers in Europe and Africa".

In an incredible coincidence, Hubblesite released a press release overnight saying that the July 19, 2009 impact (discovered by Anthony Wesley) was likely an asteroid. Follow the link to see the fantastic images of the 2009 "bird strike". Anthony is again at the right place at the right time, looking skywards towards Jupiter!

Stay tuned for more.

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It's now only 6 months to go until IISAC2010! Now in our 5th year, IISAC2010 is the IceInSpace Astro Camp - a star party held at Lostock, in the beautiful Hunter Valley region in NSW.

This year, it's taking place from the 7th - 10th October, 2010 - which is the last weekend of the October school holidays (for NSW) on the Thursday/Friday/Saturday nights. Come for 1 or 2 nights, or all 3!

Make sure you put the date in your calendars, plan your annual leave and start dropping hints with your partner and family :)

Keep an eye on the IISAC2010 page for more information and updates over the coming months:

I hope to see you there!

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Do you have a passion for space and astronomy? Do you have knowledge built up, that once turned into an article or review could be shared with thousands of amateur astronomers and space enthusiasts just like you?

IceInSpace relies on the contributions of its diverse community to share their knowledge and experience to help others in our hobby.

To find out the type of content we're looking for, what you need to do and how you can contribute, please read the following article:

Write for IceInSpace

Your article, reviews and other content will help build the knowledge base within IceInSpace and encourage more people into Astronomy and to become part of our great community.

Your reward is knowing that you'll be able to directly help others through the learning curve as a result of your experiences and know-how.

Thanks in advance!

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Australia's premier star party, the South Pacific Star Party, is turning 18 this year and they'd love you to come and celebrate the occassion with them.

Hosted by the ASNSW, the SPSP has been a staple on the Australian star party calendar for 18 years now, and regularly has an attendance of 200-300+ amateur astronomers and star gazers.

This years event is being held from the 14-16th May 2010, and as usual, there are talks, the Astro-Imaging Competition, the Telescope, Accessories and Software competition, workshops, vendor displays, the swap meet, nightly sky tours and much more.

Registrations are now open, so head on over to the SPSP page and help them celebrate their 18th birthday. For discussions or questions, please try this thread on IceInSpace.

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Hi all

This morning we made some changes to the structure of the IceInSpace Community Forums.

The forum re-structure is the first in a number of changes you're going to see here at IceInSpace in the coming months, as a result of the feedback and answers gathered during our IceInSpace Community Survey 2010.

The changes today were designed to better focus the discussions and topics, encourage more beginner participation, and to improve the general layout of the forums and sub-forums.

Please read the announcement thread for more information, or to give your feedback about the changes. You can of course go to the forum home page to see the entire list of forums.

Thanks for reading.

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NACAA, the National Convention of Amatuer Astronomers Inc, is holding its 24th bi-annual convention this year, 2010, in Canberra ACT over the Easter long weekend, April 2-5.

It's looking like another great event, with a excellent range of guest speakers, workshops and activities for amateur astronomers. The theme for this years convention is "Astronomy in the On-Line Age".

Check out the programme for a full list of activities, and here's a few highlights:

• The inaugural John Perdrix Address by Dr Tom Richards
• Two workshops on Friday April 2 covering the new version of the VStar variable star analysis software package from David Benn, and expert advice on high-resolution planetary imaging from Anthony Wesley
• Hristo Pavlov will convene the Fourth Trans-Tasman Symposium on Occultations on Monday April 5
• A tour of the new Mount Stromlo Observatory prior to the BBQ on Sunday April 4
• An excursion to the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex at Tidbinbilla on Monday April 5
• Dr Simon O'Toole will talk about the hunt for exoplanets and the role of amateurs
• The entertaining Dr Charley Lineweaver will talk at the dinner on the question of life in the universe
• Dr Daniel Shaddock of the ANU will talk about detecting gravity waves

Check out the NACAA 2010 site for more information, including how to get there, accommodation options etc, and when you're ready, you can register online.

For discussions on IceInSpace, head to this thread. 

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