Hi all

My annual Year in Review post is a little late - I usually wrap up the year before xmas but we had such a busy December that I've only now had the time to reflect on what a great year 2011 was.

So what were the highlights for IceInSpace in 2011?

As with every year, showcase astronomical events always bring the most visitors to IceInSpace - particularly the general public, and especially if the media grabs hold of it and reports about it on the various media outlets.

The four most popular astronomical events in 2011 were:

• Total Lunar Eclipse, December 10th
• Kreitz Sungrazer Lovejoy in late December 
• Total Lunar Eclipse, June 6th 
• Conjunction of four Planets and Moon in late April/May

Some of the most popular topics and threads on the IceInSpace Forum in 2011 were:

• Kreitz Sungrazer Lovejoy
• Total Lunar Eclipse, December 10th
• Anyone heard of PMX shipments yet?
• Base Load power
• 2011 David Malin Awards Submissions
• Taking Delivery of GSO RC12
• TC Yasi

During 2011, we passed some significant milestones, including:

• Passing 9,000 registered members in April, and 10,000 in December!
• Passing 2,000 Likes on the IceInSpace Facebook page in December 
• Turning 7 years old in September
• Passing 80,000 threads and almost 800,000 posts!
• Holding our 6th IceInSpace AstroCamp (IISAC2011)

Some other interesting IceInSpace statistics for 2011 include:

• Over 1,500 new member registrations (same as 2010)
• Over 133,000 new posts (a little more than 2010)
• Over 9,000,000 page views (almost 10% more than 2010)
• Almost 2,100 sets of items have been bought and sold through the IceTrade Classifieds. Slightly less than 2010 but only just.
• 35% of people are still browsing IceInSpace using Internet Explorer, but it's only #1 by a small margin (41% last year). 2nd is Firefox with 33% (37% last year). Safari is third with 15% (10% last year) and Chrome has a nice increase to 13% (8% last year). Safari's increase is mostly thanks to the iPad and iPhone no doubt.

I'm really looking forward to what 2012 will bring, for astronomy and for IceInSpace. We've got some major astronomical events coming up, including:

• Venus Transiting Across the Sun in June
• Total Solar Eclipse in November

Both of these will generate huge interest in astronomy, including from the mainstream media. I'm hoping IceInSpace can again play a crucial role in providing information and updates to people wanting to find out about these events.

On behalf of IceInspace, Terry and I would like to thank everyone for being part of a fantastic year and a fantastic community.

All the best to you and your families.

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Breaking News! Comet Lovejoy is now visible in the pre-dawn Eastern sky!

The image above by Colin Legg from Western Australia was captured this morning, 21st December and shows the tail of Comet Lovejoy rising in the East near Antares/Scorpius.

Colin has also posted a timelapse, which you can see on Vimeo.

To try and have a look yourself, look towards the East from 3:30am AEDST until the sky gets too bright. It may only be visible for a few more days - noone knows for sure yet.

In the last news post I mentioned the comet discovery made by Terry Lovejoy. Well it's turned out to be a massive event of its own and has had the attention of science-based media and starting to filter into mainstream media. The encounter between the comet C/2011 W3 (Lovejoy) and the Sun was captured by space-based observatories and we've been able to watch in real-time as the comet headed towards the Sun and come out the other side in-tact, when it was expected to meet an untimely end and burn up.

There's a great wrap up of the imagery and videos here on YouTube.

Keep an eye on this IceInSpace thread for updates, including how and where you might be able to see the comet. Also keep an eye out here on our home page, or on our Facebook page for timely updates.

Total Lunar Eclipse Wrap Up

Wow, well what a night last Saturday night was. Predictions of terrible weather were cast across most of Australia, but for the fortunate ones it cleared right on command and many parts of the country were able to see the spectacular event.

The event received loads of media attention in the few days leading up to the Eclipse, and on the night of the eclipse itself the sheer number of visitors looking for information about the eclipse and reading the article on IceInSpace crushed our server and IceInSpace was struggling under the load. In the end, over 60,000 people read the article - and the vast majority of those were on Saturday itself before the eclipse!

Luckily, Facebook is designed to handle millions more visitors so I was able to share a stream of photos as the eclipse progressed into totality. If you're on Facebook, make sure you LIKE the IceInSpace page, so you can receive live updates if IceInSpace ever does have problems under severe load :)

There's loads more eclipse images posted on the IceInSpace Solar System forum, head on over and check them out.

Read the Full Story

Countdown almost over! Total Lunar Eclipse on the 10th December 2011

After all the anticipation and the countdowns, the Total Lunar Eclipse is almost here. It's happening on Saturday night, starting before midnight AEDST on Saturday and going into Sunday 11th.  If you don't live on the East Coast of Australia, don't forget to adjust for your time zone. Check the article here on IceInSpace for more information and local times for you

The event is getting a bit of media interest over the last week, and if your family and friends know you're into astronomy or the night sky, they'll probably ask you about it. So brush up on your knowledge using the article above, and be able to explain to them what a Total Lunar Eclipse is, how and why it's safe to observe and how to photograph it. You can even send them the link to share it with them :)

The weather reports are looking pretty bad for most parts of Australia, but I'm still hoping for some sucker holes to be able to get a view of this great event.

Some resources for you:

• IceInSpace Article about the Eclipse
• IceInSpace Discussion Thread
• IceInSpace Facebook Page

Good luck, we'd love to see your reports and images!

Amazing Amateur Discoveries by IceInSpace members

I'm continually amazed by the dedication and talent of the IceInSpace Community. It's been a busy few weeks with some new amazing discoveries by amateur astronomers.

Stu Parker from New Zealand has racked up his 22nd supernova discovery (SN 2011iv) as part of the prolific BOSS supernova searching team. It's a bright mag 12 type 1A supernova in NGC1404. Read more about Stu's discovery in this thread.

Terry Lovejoy from Queensland has discovered his 3rd comet - a sungrazing comet C/2011 W3 (Lovejoy), which is due to smash into the Sun around December 15. What makes it even more special, is that it's extremely rare for sungrazing comets to be discovered from ground-based telescopes! Congrats Terry!

• Here's the IceInSpace thread discussing it.
• And here's an interview I did with Terry back in 2007 after he discovered his first comet
• And a thread discussing the impact with the Sun next week and how you may be able to watch it via the SOHO solar observatory:

Rolf Olsen from New Zealand has always captured unique and interesting photos with his 10" telescope and ToUcam webcam, but he went one step further this time - being the first person to capture a direct photograph of the protoplanetary disc surrounding the star Beta Pictoris.

His discovery and photograh has been around the world on every news stream - I've even had work colleagues mention it to me, and then I tell them "we saw it on IceInSpace first" :)

• Check it out for yourself here and read how he did it:
• He's also posted a new and improved image with further analysis.

My hearty congratulations to these three amazing amateur astronomers, who continue to inspire me with their commitment, dedication and passion for what they do - pushing the boundaries of what we thought was possible.

What's Hot This Week

Each newsletter I thought I'd include some links to a selection of threads on IceInSpace and other sites which I like, and that you might find interesting too.

• Stunning timelapse preview by Tom Lowe for his upcoming feature length movie, Timescapes 4K.
• Beautiful timelapse by Alex Cherney taken around Lake Tekapo in New Zealand
• Bad Astronomers' 2011 Top 16 Photos from Space
• Martin Pugh's stunning image of Melotte 15 which is this weeks Image of the Week
• A nice sharp Jupiter image by Ray
• One of Damian Peach's best Jupiter images for 2011
• A great image showing the evolution of Earth compared to a 12 month calendar
• IceInSpace on Facebook, approaching 2000 Likes :)
  

Last Minute Xmas Gift - Special 30% Discount!

I'm out of Astronomy 2012 Yearbooks now, but we can still help you with that last minute stocking filler with a xmas special discount.

The Astronomy and Australian Sky 2012 Calendars are still available and are a perfect gift - affordable, informative, beautiful and useful.

For a single calendar, it's $19 delivered to your door (within Australia). However as a xmas special, if you order 2 or more calendars in the same order, you'll receive a massive 30% discount. Check them out here and click the big blue button to order online:

Buy Astronomy and Australian Sky 2012 Calendars Online

Thanks for reading! Please share with your friends. 

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Total Lunar Eclipse on the 10th December 2011

On December 10th 2011 there's an excellent celestial event - a Total Lunar Eclipse. It's where the shadow of the Earth is cast upon the Moon, and the moon turns red! It's completely safe to observe and easy to photograph.

The eclipse is visible in its entirety from all of Australia and New Zealand, and Asia. For North Americans, the eclipse is in progress as the Moon sets, while observers in Europe and Africa will miss the early stages of the eclipse as it will be in progress as the Moon rises. South America misses this eclipse entirely.

For Australians and New Zealanders this will be a well-placed eclipse. The partial stages start just before midnight on the 10th December (depending on your timezone) heading into totality in the early hours of the 11th December. It's quite a short eclipse, with totality lasting 51 minutes (the Total Lunar Eclipse in June 2011 lasted 100 minutes!).

To find out what a Total Lunar Eclipse is and how it happens, how to view it and photograph it, and times for your location, check out the article I wrote:

Total Lunar Eclipse, December 10th 2011

If you live outside Australia and New Zealand, you can also check the link for times of a city nearest you.

If you've got any questions, feel free to post on the IceInSpace Forum. We've got a forum thread specifically for lunar eclipse discussions, or head to our IceInSpace Facebook page, Like our page and post on our wall.

Good luck, we'd love to see your reports and images!

2012 Yearbook and Calendar stocks still available

Getting stuck thinking of xmas gifts? The Astronomy 2012 Australia Yearbook and the Astronomy/Australian Sky 2012 Calendars are a perfect gift! I still have stock left and now's the time to get your order in.

The Astronomy 2012 Australia Yearbook is must-have yearly almanac with star charts, dates for astro events and tonnes more info about observing the night sky in 2012. It's suitable for beginners and advanced alike, whether you use your naked eye, binoculars or a telescope. The price is AU$27 which includes postage within Australia ($6 extra for postage overseas), helps and supports IceInSpace, and IceInSpace stickers are included free with every order (while stocks last). You'll also receive a 10% discount if you order 2 or more.

Buy Astronomy 2012 Yearbook Online

The Astronomy and Australian Sky 2012 Calendars are a perfect gift - affordable, informative, beautiful and useful. Delivered to your door (within Australia) for only $19, and a massive 20% discount if you order 2 or more.

Buy Astronomy and Australian Sky 2012 Calendars Online

IISAC2011 Wrap

The IceInSpace AstroCamp 2011 was held just over a week ago, over 3 nights in the beautiful hunter valley.  The forecast leading up to the event wasn't fantastic, which unfortunately meant the camp numbers were down, however fortunately for those of us there, the forecasts were wrong!

After a cloudy and drizzly Thursday, it cleared at 9pm for a stunning clear sky that lasted all night. Friday was warm and sunny during the day, and we were treated to many fly-overs by some fighter jets from the nearby Williamtown RAAF Base. The night was a mix of patchy, hazy and clear. It would've been frustrating for the astrophotographers, but for the visual observers there was always an area of sky that was clear. I headed up to the top of a nearby mountain to get internet reception on Saturday morning, and the forecast was terrible! It threatened storms and rain, and was enough to prompt some people to pack up and go home. Fortunately again, it was wrong! The sky cleared at 5pm for a beautiful night. We could see lightening off in the distance behind the hills, but the sky above us was beautifully clear with the exception of about 30-40 minutes of cloud that came across.

The guest speakers were very interesting, the company was fantastic, and the skies were dark and clear! It doesn't get much better than that.

You can read more reports and see some photos (including the group photo, above) on IceInSpace. Start from this post and go forward or back a page or two to see the rest.

Book Review - "The Transit of Venus: 1631 to the Present"

Having just written an article for IceInSpace on how to observe and photograph the Transit of Venus in June 2012, I was excited to receive the opportunity to review this book, "The Transit of Venus: 1631 to the Present", written by Dr Nick Lomb, the Curator of Astronomy at the Sydney Observatory.

Published by NewSouth Publishing in association with Powerhouse Publishing, the book is a large hardcover book (240 x 235mm), 228 pages long and contains a great balance of text, with beautiful black and white and full colour illustrations and photographs.

Read my full review including pictures at:

The Transit of Venus: 1631 to the Present

Thanks for reading! Please share with your friends. 

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A favourite yearly publication and almanac for Australians is the Astronomy Yearbook, and like clockwork, the 2012 version is now available for sale.

Astronomy 2012 Australia is an astronomy yearbook produced by Quasar Publishing (Glenn Dawes, Peter Northfield and Ken Wallace). It's a must-have yearly almanac with tonnes of info about observing the night sky during 2012. It contains star charts and other ephemeris, dates and details of important astro events during the year and much more.

In addition to the usual features, this year’s book includes information and articles about the rare Transit of Venus, and the Total Solar Eclipse.

The yearbook has been designed for anyone who looks at the night sky whether they are using just their eyes, a pair of binoculars or a telescope. The book has something for everyone from the basic novice up to the advanced amateur astronomer. This includes those with a casual interest who might just want to know, "what is that bright star next to the Moon?"

IceInSpace has organised a bulk order of the Astronomy 2012 Yearbook, and you can now order your copy online for only $27 each which includes postage to your door (within Australia). You will receive a 10% discount if you order 2 or 3 yearbooks in the same order.

IceInSpace AstroCamp 2011

The IceInSpace AstroCamp is now just over 2 weeks away! I'm really looking forward to catching up with friends and other members that we usually only interact with online - and making a bunch of new friends too.

It's never too late to register for the camp. Fill in the booking form online at the IceInSpace AstroCamp 2011 Info Page.

Keep your fingers crossed for fine weather and clear skies, and I look forward to seeing you there!

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The Transit of Venus across the face of the Sun occurs on June 5th or June 6th, 2012 depending on your location.

This is an extremely rare event, one of the rarest of the predictable astronomical phenomena, and will be the last time you'll have a chance to see this in your lifetimes!

So exactly when and where do you have to be to see it? How do you observe the sun safely during a transit? What's the best way to photograh it? Why is a Transit of Venus so rare? What's the historical significance of a Venus Transit?

All these questions and more are answered in the article I've written:

Transit of Venus Across the Sun, 6th June 2012 - Observing/Imaging Guide

If you have any questions, please feel free to post in this discussion thread on IceInSpace.

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Why does the picture of the Moon below have those funky colours? You can't see them with your eyes, or through the telescope like that, right?

Actually the colours are real - they've just been artificially boosted; amplified during processing. The colours themselves represent the various types of iron and mineral deposits on the Moon. The blue hues reveal titanium rich areas while orange and purple colors show regions relatively poor in titanium and iron.

I've written an article which shows you how to process your lunar images to bring out those colours. I'll talk a little about the equipment and capture, but most of the article will focus on the image processing.

How to Create a Colour Saturated Moon Photo

I hope the article inspires you to give it a go, and I look forward to seeing your results posted in the IceInSpace Solar System Forum.

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Another year rolls by, and IceInSpace passes another significant milestone!

Happy Birthday IceInSpace! We've just turned 7 years old!

A lot of websites come and go, so I think 7 years is a pretty amazing achievement. Year on year we've continued to grow, and our loyal, helpful and friendly community is the cornerstone of our success!

I turned this milestone over to the members, and asked them on the forum and on Facebook, what some of their best moments or memories were. What they got the most out of IceInSpace.

Here are a selection of their responses:

• Craig Jackson: I learnt that 8" Dob is the likely answer to any beginner astronomy questions
• Melissa Monck: IIS is my favorite link to all my favorite things in the universe :) Congrats on 7 years and a huge thanks to all the wonderful people who make IIS such a happy place to be.
• Dean Manton: Only joined the other day but picked up some awesum info on binoculars
• James Thompson: I just love the photographs
• Susan Kelly: Happy Birthday IceInSpace! Thanks for the advice, info on events and great video links
• Octane: Happy Birthday, my favourite site on the whole Internet, IIS
• netwolf: Happy Birthday IIS, we have some great skies in Australia and thanks to IIS we also have a great community to share them with
• Shelltree: Hip-hip-hooray! Happy birthday IIS!  Without this amazing site, I wouldn't have met such amazing people
• traveller: Thank you for a fantastic site and a wealth of knowledge among its members
• Suzy: Happy Birthday Ice in Space! Thank you for bringing me some great and dear friends into my life and thank you to everyone who has contributed all these years- I have learned so much! This forum is very much like a family to me
• Osirisra: I think my favourite moment and also for alot of others here, would be when I got back into astronomy and I found IIS while looking at astronomy sites. The awesome warm and friendly folks here that are always super helpful with tons of information is what makes IIS a brilliant place for anyone interested in Astronomy
• Mick: I’ll always remember the first day Mike, without your vision we would never have had this amazing community. The sharing of information and the wonderful images are the reason I visit nearly every day.
• sheeny: Being involved in such an active online community that is at times right at the cutting edge (thinking especially of Bird's impact discoveries! Enjoying and marvelling at the diverse interests and personalities of my fellow IISer's. ...it doesn't seem to matter what it is, someone here seems to be able to help if you have a problem! Just ask... Being able to admire some really superb astrophotography, and learn from "amateur experts" while still contribute to helping others... all in the one place!
• mishku: heartfelt thankyou to all of the lovely folks who have been so patient, kind and generous with their time and knowledge (can't tell you how much I've learnt since I've been a member of IIS.

Thanks so much to everyone for your birthday wishes, and for sharing how IceInSpace plays such a role in your lives.

The next milestone is 10,000 members - another very signifcant celebration of our community - giving people a reason to visit and a reason to come back.

Here's to 7 more years!

Thanks for your support. 

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It's a good week for our visual observers, with some great new articles and reviews just for you.

For the beginners, Faith Jordan (new to IceInSpace but not new to astronomy) has written a fantastic article about how to get into Deep Sky Observing. It's got some great tips and advice for those just starting out.

So You Want to do Deep Sky Observing?

If you've got a good pair of binoculars and are up for a challenge, compare your viewing experiences with Faith Jordan's successes and failures trying to observe the Messier list.

Finding the Messier Objects with Binoculars - Successes and Failures

And for those with a case of Aperture Fever - for that are looking to upgrade from their 8" or 10" telescope, check out Rick Petrie's thorough review of the Orion XX14i Intelliscope Truss Tube Dobsonian. It looks like a fantastic scope if you're ready to take that next step up in aperture.

Orion XX14i Intelliscope Truss Tube Dobsonian

Thanks to Rick and Faith for their fantastic contributions to the growing IceInSpace knowledge base of articles and reviews.

If you'd like to contribute a review or article, we're always happy to have your submissions. You don't need to be an expert writer, or an expert in astronomy. You just need to be willing to share your experiences and thoughts, which will in turn help out others going through the same thing.

To contribute an article or review, get in touch via our Write for IceInSpace page which has some general tips and guidelines.

I look forward to hearing from you!

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We're very fortunate to have some great sponsors supporting IISAC2011, offering some amazing lucky door prizes up for grabs for attendees of IISAC2011.

OzScopes, online supplier of telescopes and accessories, are sponsoring an 8" dobsonian telescope. These are an excellent starting scope - portable, plenty of aperture and so easy to use.

FLI Camera, maker of research and professional grade astrophotography equipment, are sponsoring a set of 50mm round LRGB filters. These are research grade filters that will help take your serious astrophotography to the next level.

Wildcard Innovations, maker of the world famous Argo Navis Digital Telescope Computer, are sponsoring a 50% discount off an Argo Navis DTC.

You can register for IISAC2011 now - it's only 2.5 months away. I hope to see you there.

More info about the IceInSpace Star Party:
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/iisac

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.. and they look fantastic!

For those that have already ordered and paid, I'll be sending them out to you in the next 24-48 hours.

If you haven't yet ordered, now's the time to get your order in:

Only $19 each posted to you, and you'll receive a massive 20% discount if you order 2 or more. And don't forget, you'll also receive IceInSpace stickers

Order now! They make a fantastic gift - for yourself, your friends and family. Whether they're hardcore amateur astronomers, have a casual interest in the night sky, or just like looking at pretty pictures, one or both of the calendars will be suitable.

Get Yours Now!

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The Astronomy Calendar 2012 and Australian Sky Calendar 2012 are now available for sale! Click the blue button to find out more and place your order.

This year, Astrovisuals are releasing two calendars - the Astronomy Calendar 2012, and the Australian Sky Calendar 2012. Both calendars are a visual treat, and there's something for everyone. Whether you're an amateur astronomer, casual star gazer or just have an interest in the beauty of our night sky, one or both of these calendars will suit you or be a perfect gift for friends and family.

The Astronomy Calendar 2012 contains the usual mix of images taken by professional observatories, space probes and amateur astrophotographers, and highlights astronomical events throughout the calendar year.

The Australian Sky Calendar 2012 is a new release this year, and combines the beauty of our Australian landscapes and landmarks, with stunning night skyscapes showcasing our Australian Sky. All of the images were taken by Australian amateur astrophotographers.

The calendars are $19.00 each and include free postage and handling within Australia. You'll also receive a 20% discount if you order 2 or more calendars. Overseas orders are $25 per calendar (20% discount still applies if you order 2 or more).

Click the blue button to find out more and to place your order.

Every order receives at least 1 IceInSpace sticker while stocks last!

Thanks

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Hi all

It's the end of June, half way through 2011 already. Wow, how time flies. This is a bit of a 'round the traps' update of what's been happening and what's coming up.

1. The June Total Lunar Eclipse was Great!

On the morning of the 16th June 2011 we had our first total lunar eclipse of 2011, and it was a great event seen by most of Australia who got lucky with cloud cover that morning.

The IceInSpace Article about the eclipse got some great coverage and had over 20,000 views - most of them on the day and night before the eclipse. Hopefully the one in December will generate just as much interest.

2. Australia's Astro Imaging Conference - FLI AAIC 2011 

It's only just over a week until Australia's first major astro imaging conference, the FLI AAIC 2011, is on. It runs from the 8th - 10th July 2011 and is being held at Crown Plaza Hotel, Sufers Paradise, Queensland!

It's not too late to register - hit the link and follow the instructions to reserve your spot!

Check out the AAIC2011 article for more information, or visit the AAIC2011 website.

3. Entries are closed in the CWAS "David Malin Awards" for 2011

Last Friday, entries closed for the 2011 CWAS "David Malin Awards". The David Malin Awards is Australia's premier astrophotography contest, with hundreds of entries each year from the cream of Australia's astrophotography talent.

Winners will be announced soon and presented at the Awards Dinner on the 16th July 2011.

4. IISAC2011 is less than 4 months away

IISAC2011 is getting closer now, just over 3 months away so it's time to start getting organised. The IISAC2011 page now has information about prices, guest speakers and workshops, and a booking page will be available in the next 2 weeks.

We hope to see you there!

5. Our Facebook Page is Growing Strong!

We're forming a great extended community on our IceInSpace Facebook page, with almost 1600 'Likes'.

We invite you to Like our Facebook page, we share news and information about upcoming celestial events, star parties etc. We also showcase our Image of the Week as well as other and other interesting news in the world of Astronomy.

It's a great way to get in touch and interact with the extended IceInSpace Community. We also would love you to share the love of IceInSpace with YOUR friends! Facebook is great for that - when you Like or Comment on an article on Facebook, your friends see it.

So please, come and Like our Facebook page at:

IceInSpace on Facebook

6. Review of SolarMax II 60mm Solar Scope

For those looking to invest in a high quality solar telescope for the Transit of Venus in 2012, or the Total Solar Eclipse in 2012, you might be interested in this review of the Coronado SolarMax II 60mm Solar Telescope by John Wilkinson.

Coronado SolarMax II 60mm Solar Telescope Review

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Hi all

Hopefully you've all heard about the Total Lunar Eclipse, happening on Thursday morning (16th June) in the hours before dawn (if you live in Australia or NZ).

To find out what a Total Lunar Eclipse is and how it happens, how to view it and photograph it, and times for your location, check out the link below:

Total Lunar Eclipse, 16th June 2011

If you live outside Australia and New Zealand, you can also check the link for times of a city nearest you.

The first total lunar eclipse of 2011 occurs about 1.5 hours before sunrise. FOr the Eastern States, start observing from around 4:30am when the Moon will be entering the partial phase.

Observers in Western Australia will get to see the whole event, while the Eastern States will miss the last partial stages of the eclipse as the Moon will set just after totality ends.

It's a long eclipse, with totality lasting 100 minutes. A good Westerly aspect will be essential as the Moon will be low in the West during totality.

If you've got any questions, feel free to post on the IceInSpace Forum (free registration required, but it only takes 30 seconds). We've got a forum thread specifically for lunar eclipse discussions here, or head to our IceInSpace Facebook page and post on our wall.

Good luck, we'd love to see your images!

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Hi all

Some timely reminders for some great celestial and terrestrial events in the next few months.

First, the celestial:

1. Planet and Moon Conjunctions in May

If you've been looking East each morning, you'll have noticed the brilliant conjunction of the planets Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Mars.

Jupiter has been heading closer to Venus and Mercury, and on the 12th May they'll be at their closest. At the end of the month, the Crescent Moon joins the planets for a spectacular view. The image below is similar to what you'll see at the end of the month - this was captured on the 2nd May by Terry Cuttle.

To find out more about the conjunctions during May, including where and how you can see them, sky charts for key dates during May, how to photograph the conjunctions, and even to learn more about what a conjunction actually is, then head to this article which has everything you need:

Upcoming Conjunctions Featuring the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter in May 2011

We'd love to see your images and read your reports from the event. Please share your experiences in our Solar System forum or on our Facebook page.

2. Total Lunar Eclipse in June

On the morning of the 15/16th June 2011 (16th June AEST) the first total lunar eclipse of 2011 occurs, about 1.5 hours before sunrise.

Observers in Western Australia will get to see the whole event, while the Eastern States will miss the last partial stages of the eclipse as the Moon will set just after totality.

It's a long eclipse, with totality lasting 100 minutes. A good Westerly aspect will be essential as the Moon will be low in the West during totality.

Click the link above for more information about the eclipse, how and where you can see it and photograph it, and to look for timings and moon altitude for a city near you.

Now, for the terrestrial events;

3. Australia's Astro Imaging Conference - FLI AAIC 2011 

Australia's first major astro imaging conference, the FLI AAIC 2011, is on from the 8th - 10th July 2011 and is being held at Crown Plaza Hotel, Sufers Paradise, Queensland!

The programme features 3 days of workshops, demonstrations and lectures by some of Australia's most prominent professional and amateur astrophotographers, as well as two renowned international guest speakers - Ken Crawford and Rogelio Bernal Andreo.

Registration is now open, and numbers are limited! So get in early to reserve your spot and receive the early-bird discount.

Check out the AAIC2011 article for more information, or visit the AAIC2011 website.

4. IISAC2011 is less than 6 months away

Ok so it's still a while away (27th-30th October 2011), but if you need to put in annual leave forms or build up brownie points, now may be the time to start getting organised.

IISAC will be taking a break next year (due to the Total Solar Eclipse), so make sure you get to this one.

Keep an eye on the IISAC2011 page for more information over the next weeks and months and I hope to see you there.

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Hi all

It's with great pleasure I can report that IceInSpace has passed another mildly significant milestone -

We passed 9,000 registered forum members!

While not a huge deal in the scheme of things, it's significant in that it shows the consistent growth of IceInSpace - which shows we're doing something right.

It was only in September 2010 that we passed the 8,000 member milestone - so we've achieved another 1000 members in only 7.5 months!

You can visit our forum here, and register for your own forum account here. It's completely free and only takes 30 seconds.

We're also growing our Facebook presence, with our IceInSpace Facebook page now having over 1,370 'Likes' and growing fast. It's easy to share with your friends - simply post a Link to our Facebook page, or click the 'Share' button in the bottom left of the Facebook page.

As a bit of a treat, here's a graph showing the rate of growth of our forum membership. The left axis shows the number of new members in that month, while the right axis shows the total number of members.

 Click the image for a larger version.

It's important to note that these membership numbers do not include spammers, banned users, or users who have not activated their account. 

The interesting spikes in January 2007 and August 2007 are due to two fantastic celestial events - Comet McNaught and the Total Lunar Eclipse. Whenever a celestial event gets some major media publicity, our IceInSpace visitor numbers and membership numbers spike accordingly.

We love to acknowledge these milestones and see them as a great opportunity to celebrate and recognise our fantastic community. We wouldn't be here without you and it's only thanks to you that we have a place that's worth coming back to, day after day, week after week, and the enormous wealth of information on the site and in the forums is thanks to your contributions.

It's also rewarding to know that every day we're helping newcomers into the hobby and helping people discover the wonders of our fabulous hobby of Astronomy.

Here's to the next 1000 members - 10,000 will be a big one!

- Mike Salway and Terry Mohan

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The proposed Square Kilometre Array (SKA) 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 talk is being presented at the Sydney Observatory on Thursday 28th April, from 5:30pm - 9pm (Guest speakers begin at 6:30pm).

Ticket price includes entry to the Observatory, telescope viewing and refreshments (one drink only per ticket included). Dress for outdoor conditions (marquee event).

Adults $22; students and concessions – $18 (children must be accompanied by an adult) and Powerhouse Members – adult $20/concessions $16.

Book online , phone (02) 9921 3485 or check out the Sydney Observatory website for more.

Discuss the SKA events on the IceInSpace Forum.

For more Discover the SKA events around Australia, check their website.

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Hi all

There's 4 new reviews uploaded today:

1. Celestron CPC800 8" SCT
2. Book Review - The Night Sky Observers Guide, Volumes 1-3
3. Book Review - Astronomical Spectroscopy for Amateurs
4. Eyepieces for PST Solar Telescopes

Check out all of the reviews on IceInSpace on our Equipment Reviews page.

Thanks to David, Patrick, Al and John for taking the time to contribute reviews to IceInSpace - it's very much appreciated.

If you'd like to submit a review or article to IceInSpace (and we sure would love you to), then please have a read at Write for IceInSpace - we hope to hear from you!

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During the month of May 2011, we're in for a treat as four of the five naked eye planets will be close to each other (what we call a conjunction) in the pre-dawn sky.

To make it even better, the thin Crescent Moon joins the show on May 1st and May 30th/31st, and will be a beautiful sight visually and also present some fantastic photographic opportunities - well worth getting up for!

To find out more about the conjunctions during May, including where and how you can see them, sky charts for key dates during May, how to photograph the conjunctions, and even to learn more about what a conjunction actually is, then head to this article which has everything you need:

Upcoming Conjunctions Featuring the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter in May 2011

We'd love to see your images and read your reports from the event. Please share your experiences in our Solar System forum or on our Facebook page.

Good luck with the weather (it can't be cloudy during the whole month of May can it!??) and make sure you prepare early enough as the dawn light changes rapidly.

These two images are from similar recent conjunctions - the Moon, Mars, Mercury and Jupiter on Feb 23rd 2009, and the Smiley Face Conjunction on 1st December 2008.

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Australia's first major astro imaging conference, the FLI AAIC 2011, is on!

The brain-child of Mark Bolton (Bolts_Tweed), a lecturer at Griffith University, the AAIC2011 is the first conference of its kind in Australia, specifically targeted at Astrophotographers but open to all Astronomy enthusiasts.

The conference is on from the 8th - 10th July 2011, and is being held at Crowne Plaza Hotel, Surfers Paradise, Queensland.

The programme features 3 days of workshops, demonstrations and lectures by some of Australia's most prominent professional and amateur astrophotographers, as well as two renowned international guest speakers - Ken Crawford and Rogelio Bernal Andreo.

Registration is now open, and numbers are limited! So get in early to reserve your spot and receive the early-bird discount.

Check out the AAIC2011 article for more information, or visit the AAIC2011 website.

Well done to Mark for a fantastic effort in getting the conference up and running. A stellar effort!

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Hi all

There's 2 total lunar eclipses in 2011 and Australians and New Zealanders will be able to experience and enjoy both of them to varying degrees.

1. 15/16th June 2011 - Total Lunar Eclipse

The first total lunar eclipse of 2011 occurs in the early morning of the 16th June, about 1.5 hours before sunrise AEST.

Observers in Western Australia will get to see the whole event, while the Eastern States will miss the last partial stages of the eclipse as the Moon will set just after totality.

It's a long eclipse, with totality lasting 100 minutes. A good Westerly aspect will be essential as the Moon will be low in the West during totality.

Click the link above for more information about the eclipse, how and where you can see it and photograph it, and to look for timings and moon altitude for a city near you.

2. 10/11th December 2011 - Total Lunar Eclipse

The second eclipse of 2011 is better placed for all Australians and New Zealanders, as the whole event will be visible no matter where you live. The partial stages start just before midnight on the 10th December AEDST, with mid-totality occuring at about 1:30am AEDST on the 11th December.

The eclipse lasts for 51 minutes, and the Moon will be in the North at about 30 degrees altitude for mid-southern latitudes (eg: around Sydney).

Click the link above for more information about the eclipse, how and where you can see it and photograph it, and to look for timings and moon altitude for a city near you.

Good luck observing these lunar eclipses - we'd love to hear your reports and see your images on the IceInSpace Forum.

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Hi all

The IceInSpace community is spread across the world, but the majority of our members are in Australia - which means it's likely that some of our members have been directly affected by the floods in the past month in Queensland, NSW and Victoria.

If they haven't been directly affected, they've probably personally known some people who have been badly affected.

It's been surreal watching events unfold on television. Our thoughts are with those who have been affected, and IceInSpace wishes you all a speedy recovery and rebuilding effort.

Tell us About Yourself

I was asked to be the 'meet a staff member' on my works' internal newsletter, and was asked to answer a few questions for it.

I thought it might be a good idea and a bit of fun to ask those same questions here and get to know each other a bit better.

The questions are:

• Hobbies?
• Favourite Food?
• Favourite Movie and Why?
• What is something that your co-workers might not know about you?
• Which 3 people would you invite to your perfect dinner party and why?

I've started a thread on the IceInSpace Forum where you can read the responses from the IceInSpace Comunity so far, and add your own! It's really been great reading and it's very interesting to learn more about the members we interact with on a daily basis.

You can read and contribute here: Tell Us About Yourself

Have you ever left Astronomy and come back?

IceInSpace Member taxman (Matt) has started feeling like he's losing interest in Astronomy, and asked the community if others have felt the same way and whether they came back.

It's been quite an interesting thread and there's some great techniques in there for those who are feeling demotivated by astronomy right now, and need that little pick-me-up to reignite the interest and the passion.

You can read and contribute here: Have you ever left astronomy and came back?

Thanks for reading. Keep looking up!

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Hi all

Thanks to the contributions of some of our very generous members, there's 4 new articles added today:

• Review of the Losmandy Titan Mount
• Sketching DSO's using the Mellish Technique
• Budget Electric Focuser for an SCT
• Review of the T-Rex Heavy Duty Alt/Az Mount

Thanks to Matt, Alexander, Philip and Peter for their contributions.

If you'd like to contribute a review, article or other content to IceInSpace, please get in touch.

Thanks

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Hi all

In line with my annual pre-xmas tradition of reflecting on the last year, with 2010 drawing to a close, it's now time to highlight some of the more popular events, topics and statistics here on IceInSpace.

As a common trend, showcase astronomical events always bring the most visitors to IceInSpace - particularly the general public, and especially if the media grabs hold of it and reports about it on the various media outlets.

The four most popular astronomical events in 2010 were:

• Anthony Wesley (forum member "bird") discovered *another* impact strike on Jupiter
• 4 planets and crescent moon conjunction
• Total solar eclipse, 11 july 2010
• 26th june 2010 partial lunar eclipse

Some of the most popular topics and threads on the IceInSpace Forum are often the ones in General Chat where we get to know each other a bit more. There was a bit of that in 2010, but interestingly some image threads were the most popular in 2010. The most popular topics in 2010:

• Anthony's 2nd jupiter impact:
• Plane Crossing middle of moon:
• Discussion about avatar the movie
• Houghy's doghouse observatory
• sbig or qhy9
• Anthony's 'perfect seeing' jupiter image
• Interest in the ipad
• Upcoming total solar eclipse 2012

During 2010, we passed some significant milestones, including:

• We had our first major IceInSpace Community Survey
• We restructured the forum to have more focus on the beginners and a few more niche sub-forums.
• Passing 8,000 registered members
• Passing 1,000 Likes on the IceInSpace Facebook page
• Turning 6 years old in September
• Passing 60,000 threads and 600,000 posts!
• Holding our 5th IceInSpace AstroCamp (IISAC2010)

Some other interesting IceInSpace statistics for 2010 include:

• Over 1,800 new member registrations (a little less than 2009)
• Over 130,000 new posts (a little less than 2009)
• Almost 8,000,000 page views (a little more than 2009)
• Over 2,000 sets of items have been bought and sold through the IceTrade Classifieds (over 20% more than 2009! No GFC in Astronomy!?)
• Apart from the IceInSpace Forum, the most popular pages on IceInSpace were the homepage, the Projects and Articles page, the Reviews page, the Moon Phase page and the Links page
• 41% of people are browsing IceInSpace using Internet Explorer (47% last year). 2nd is Firefox with 37% (39% last year). Safari and Chrome are increasing and make up almost 18% (last year 10%), mostly thanks to the iPad and iPhone no doubt (for Safari at least).

I'm really looking forward to what 2011 will bring, for astronomy and for IceInSpace.

On behalf of IceInspace, Terry and I would like to thank everyone for being part of a fantastic year and a fantastic community. We wish everyone a safe and happy christmas and we'll be back with more in 2011!

All the best to you and your families.

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Upcoming Event: Total Lunar Eclipse on December 21

On December 21st 2010 there's an excellent celestial event - a Total Lunar Eclipse. It's where the shadow of the Earth is cast upon the Moon, and the moon turns red! It's completely safe to observe and easy to photograph.

This eclipse is perfect for our North American members, as it will visible in its entirety while the Moon is practically overhead. For Australians and New Zealanders, the eclipse will be visible (and in progress) at Moonrise (right after sunset) - so the further East you are (and the best Easterly aspect you can get), the more of the eclipse you'll see.

The following article contains all the information you need including where and when you can view it, and how to photograph the eclipse.

Total Lunar Eclipse - December 21st, 2010

To contribute or ask questions on the forums, try this thread on the IceInSpace Forum.

I look forward to seeing your reports and images!

Contibute Articles and Reviews to IceInSpace

IceInSpace relies on the contributions of its diverse community to share their knowledge and experience to help others in our hobby. You can help by writing a review about some of your equipment, or writing an how-to article about a home project related to astronomy and astrophotography.

Please don't fee that your contributions won't be good enough, or professional enough. Amateur astronomers want to hear from other amateur astronomers just like them - just like you! So please, share your knowledge. Help the community and expand the knowledge-base that is IceInSpace!

To find out how you can contribute, please read the following article: Write for IceInSpace.

Thanks in advance!

Get your Astronomy 2011 Yearbook and Astronomy Calendar 2011 while stocks last!

I've only got about 30 calendars and 10 yearbooks left in stock, so now is the time to get your order in for christmas, before I run out! (Help me sell out!)

All prices include postage within Australia (contact me for postage overseas), all help and support IceInSpace, and IceInSpace stickers are included free with every order.

Astronomy 2011 Yearbook: $25 posted in Australia. Discounts for 2 or more.
The must-have yearly almanac with star charts, dates for astro events and tonnes more info about observing the night sky in 2011.

Astronomy Calendar 2011: $15 posted in Australia. Discounts for 2 or more.
Featuring 12 great images from local amateurs as well as NASA, and provides a nightly guide to what’s visible in the sky, including moon phase, planetary positions, eclipses, lunar occultations, conjunctions, meteor showers and more.

IceInSpace Beanie: $20 posted in Australia (that's a 10% discount)
Keep your head warm on those cold observing nights.

IceInSpace Compendium 2009: Only $30 posted in Australia (that's a 50% discount!)
It's a year old now, but still a fantastic picture-book showcasing the astrophotography of IceInSpace members.

IceInSpace Black T-Shirts: $20 posted in Australia.
Simple black t-shirt with IceInSpace logo on the front and URL on the back.
Contact me to order: (This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it)

Thanks, keep looking up!

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Hi all

Over the weekend, we held the IISAC2010 star party at Lostock, in the Hunter Valley of NSW. Unfortunately we were clouded out for 2 of the nights, but on Saturday night the skies cleared and we took advantage of 6 fantastic hours of clear, dark skies.

You can read the write-ups and see pics from the event on the IISAC2010 thread. There was also an article in the Newcastle Herald with Al Sheehan playing the 'armchair' astronomer :)

I'm looking forward to next year now - which will either be late September or late October 2011.

Astronomy 2011 Yearbook Now On-Sale

IceInSpace is offering the Astronomy 2011 Yearbook by Quasar Astronomy for sale. The books are only $25 each (includes postage within Australia), and you can get a 10% discount if you order 2 or 3 in the same order.

Astronomy 2011 is an astronomy yearbook produced by Quasar Publishing (Glenn Dawes, Peter Northfield and Ken Wallace). It's a must-have yearly almanac with tonnes of info about observing the night sky during 2011. It contains star charts and other ephemeris, dates and details of important astro events during the year and much more.

In addition to the usual features, this year’s book includes an article on discovering exoplanets as well as a look at twenty years of the Hubble Telescope. Also, there are now Dark Time tables, allowing you to easily see the deep sky observing hours for any night in the year.

The yearbook has been designed for anyone who looks at the night sky whether they are using just their eyes, a pair of binoculars or a telescope. The book has something for everyone from the basic novice up to the advanced amateur astronomer. This includes those with a casual interest who might just want to know, "what is that bright star next to the Moon?"

The Astronomy 2011 Yearbook, as well as the Astronomy Calendar 2011, make great xmas gifts!

Benefits of ordering your yearbook through IceInSpace:

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

Note: The books are expected to be available in early November and will be posted then.

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

IceInSpace Compendium 2009 now half-price!

While the compendium is now a year old, it's still a fantastic picture book showcasing some of the fantastic work produced by the amateur astronomers and astrophotographers in the IceInSpace community.

Order your copy now for only AU$30 posted within Australia. That's a 50% discount off the original price, and much less than cost price!

I still have about 30 or so books available, so please order now - again a fantastic xmas present for a family member or friend.

Order your 2009 Compendium for only $30 here.

 That's it for today's update.

Grab some astronomy and IceInSpace merchandise before xmas and surprise a family member or friend with a present from the stars :)

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Do you consider yourself a beginner in Astronomy, Star Gazing or Astrophotography?

IceInSpace has some very popular forums for beginners where you can ask questions or post photos and not feel embarrassed.

• Do you get confused about all the jargon and acronyms?
• Do you want to know what is the best telescope or binoculars to buy for yourself or a family member?
• Do you want to know what it was you saw in the sky, or do you want to know how to find a particular object?
• Do you want to know how to take better pictures or share some of the pictures you've taken?
• Do you just want to introduce yourself and join in the community?
• Do you want to make some friends that you can go observing with?

All of these questions and more get asked and answered every week in the IceInSpace Beginners Forums.

To join in, follow these easy 3 steps:

1. The first step is to Register for the IceInSpace Forums (it's free and will only take you a minute),
2. Click on any of the Beginners Forums at the top of the forum list
3. Click the "New Thread" button. Read this guide for help with posting a new thread.

We're here to help! Go ahead and join in today!

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Hi all

In the past 2 weeks we've celebrated a couple of fantastic milestones here at IceInSpace.

• We passed 8000 registered members on the IceInSpace Forum
• On September 13th 2010, we celebrated our 6th Birthday! 6 years to the day since IceInSpace was launched!

The milestones themselves aren't the most important factor to Terry or I or our community, but we like to acknowledge them and see them as a great opportunity to celebrate and recognise our fantastic community. We wouldn't be here without you and it's only thanks to you that we have a place that's worth coming back to, day after day, week after week, and the enormous wealth of information on the site and in the forums is thanks to your contributions.

It's also rewarding to continue to see the site go from strength to strength, to continue growing and know that every day we're helping newcomers into the hobby and helping people discover the wonders of our fabulous hobby of Astronomy.

Here's to the next 1,000 members and the next year of IceInSpace!

Thanks again for all of your support. This community is just one big extended family to me! You can share your thoughts in this forum thread.

Image of the Week

In case you weren't aware of our Image of the Week page, once a week I choose an image that has been posted in our Solar System or Deep Space forums that really appeals to me.

It's featured here on the homepage of IceInSpace, but all previous IOTW's can be seen on our IOTW page where you can browse by date, year or filter by author.

I also upload it to the IceInSpace Facebook page where you can Like It and Share it with your friends. Have you Liked IceInSpace on Facebook? Over 1050 people have so far - please join them and share with your friends!

IceInSpace AstroCamp 2010 only 2 weeks away!

The IceInSpace Astrocamp 2010 (IISAC2010) is now only 2 weeks away.

We have some great guest speakers including Professor Fred Watson and serial David Malin Award winner, Phil Hart.

Head to the IISAC2010 Info Page and click the link that opens the booking form. I hope to see you there!

Order your Astronomy Calendar 2011 now!

We still have plenty of 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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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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Hi all

I've added two new Total Solar Eclipse articles to the Projects and Articles page.

• Total Solar Eclipse - July 11th, 2010 - Observing / Imaging Guide
• Total Solar Eclipse - November 13th-14th, 2012 - Observing / Imaging Guide

They are now also moved to a new "Celestial Events" section in the Articles list.

The November 2012 eclipse in Cairns is the first one for Australia since the 2002 South Australian eclipse, and it's going to be an absolutely huge event.

I'd really recommend to start your planning now, as any accommodation in the area is likely to be almost booked out already, or will get more expensive the longer you wait.

Good luck!

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Professional and amateur astronomers, educators and all astronomy enthusiasts worldwide are invited to celebrate the Universe in April 2010, during Global Astronomy Month - an international project that builds on the achievements of The International Year of Astronomy 2009, by combining a wide array of activities with the possibility of sharing experiences in real-time!

The unprecedented success of 100 Hours of Astronomy (100HA) in April 2009 showed what could be accomplished by a highly motivated and energized international community of passionate people, creating even greater enthusiasm for a follow-up experience. As challenging as it may be to follow the historic success of 100HA, Astronomers Without Borders (AWB) has set the bar even higher, inviting astronomy enthusiasts worldwide to celebrate the Universe for an entire month!

Taking place during April 2010, Global Astronomy Month (GAM2010) is a community based effort aiming to achieve international collaboration and more interaction between participants than ever before. The primary idea of GAM2010 is to share ideas, experiences and successes, allowing communities that organize their own events to carry their ideas and inspiration forward.

GAM2010 includes the most popular events for both astronomers and the public: telescopes will be available for the viewing of the Moon, Saturn and other objects, not only at observatories and planetariums, but also in public locations; dark sky observing of distant objects, Messier marathon, Lyrid Meteor Shower observing parties and events for the annual celebration of Astronomy Day (April, 24) are just some of the activities planned; special events by IYA2009-created global programs, observing with telescopes controlled over the Internet, webcasts and podcasts of special presentations, exhibitions, public competitions, astrophotography contests and workshops and much more will ensure that there is something for everyone.

Now is the time to start planning!

If you're part of an Astronomy Group or Society, start organising your events for April and let the GAM2010 team know - with cross promotion opportunities we can really get the word out there and make GAM2010 a great success.

For more information, the following links will help:

• GAM2010 Website
• GAM2010 Blogs
• Follow GAM_2010 on Twitter
• Become a Fan of GAM2010 on Facebook

And of course keep tuned to IceInSpace as we will happily help promote your local GAM2010 events.

For any specific questions or to let the GAM team know about your ideas or events, please contact the Australia/NZ regional contacts:

Australia
Donna Burton
National Coordinator for Australia, Astronomers Without Borders
(This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it)
+61 2 6842 6255

New Zealand
Mike White
National Coordinator for NZ, Astronomers Without Borders
(This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it)
+64 21 100-7170

For discussion on IceInSpace, add your input to this thread.

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The Central West Astronomical Society is proud to announce the 2010 CWAS "David Malin Awards".

As usual, this year's competition introduces new ideas, concepts, and innovations with the view to making the competition more exciting, relevant and contemporary. The competition this year will have three sections of entry - General Section, Open Themed Section and a Junior Section (18 and under).

The General Section is divided into five categories; Wide-field (camera shots), Deep Sky (telescope shots), Solar System Objects - Hi-Resolution (<30') and Wide-Field (> 30') - and a new category for Animated  Sequences.

The theme for this year's Themed Open Section is "The Moonlit Landscape". The Junior Section will have one open category and entries can be of any subject.

Last years exhibition was a resounding success and was one of the premier events of the IYA in Australia. People from all walks of life, and all over Australia, were given the opportunity to view the photographs and appreciate the efforts and skills of the nation¹s finest amateur astrophotographers.

So, start preparing your astrophotographs for the prestigious "David Malin Awards" and share with the wider public the grandeur and beauty of astronomy.

For more information on the competition, and the conditions of entry, see the official David Malin Awards website.

Posted on behalf of John Sarkissian
2010 CWAS AstroFest Organising Committee

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To IceInSpace Members and Guests,

As IceInSpace continues to grow, it's important for us to learn more about our great community - to see what makes you tick. We want to find out more about your interest in astronomy, the type of equipment you use and how often you use it, where and how you do your observing or imaging, and more.

We're also very keen to learn more about how you use IceInSpace - how long you've been visiting, how often you visit, what sections you use the most, and what you want to see more of at IceInSpace.

We want to make sure we're providing you with the right content, the right features and functionality, and ensure we provide you with what you need to get the most of our your IceInSpace experience.

To do all this, we're undertaking our first major market research of our community - in the form of the IceInSpace Community Survey 2010. Your responses will help us make IceInSpace even better and continue to grow even stronger over the next 5 years.

The survey is 4 pages long, consists of 27 questions and should take you about 10 minutes to complete. Your participation in this research is completely voluntary - all questions are optional and you can withdraw from the survey at any point.

Your survey responses will be strictly confidential and data from this research will be reported only in the aggregate. Your information will be coded and will remain confidential.

If you have questions at any time about the survey, please Contact Us at IceInSpace. You can also post any thoughts or discussion about the survey in this thread on the IceInSpace Forum.

Thank you very much for your time and support. Please start with the survey now by clicking on the link below:

IceInSpace Community Survey 2010

Thanks

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In the first week of January 2010, IceInSpace passed another milestone - reaching 7000 members!

What a great way to start 2010.

The last 1000 members has come in only just over 7 months - a fantastic rate of growth and shows that astronomy is alive and kicking and still growing strong.

It also shows that IceInSpace continues to be a great source of information and knowledge sharing - an attribute that only comes through its members sharing their expertise, helping each other, and making this place what it is today.

So thanks to the IceInSpace community for your contributions, your friendships, your questions, your answers, your images and everything that has helped make IceInSpace the largest and most active astronomy site in the Southern Hemisphere, and one of the premier astronomy sites in the world.

Bring on 8000! Tell a friend! If you'd like to share any thoughts on the 7000 member milestone, please do so here.

Did You Get a New Telescope for Xmas?

Are you a new IceInSpace member? Did you get a new telescope for xmas and not really sure how to use it or what to look for?

The answers are just a question away. Please don't be shy - head to the Beginners forum and post an introduction and/or ask some questions. There's heaps of friendly IceInSpace members ready to help you get the most of our your new telescope and to help develop the life-long bond and love for astronomy.

Click New Thread in the top of the Beginners forum to start your new journey in Astronomy and on IceInSpace.

IceInSpace on Facebook

The IceInSpace Facebook page now has over 540 fans, thanks to everyone for embracing the new social media and please share/suggest to your friends. We love Astronomy, and it's only natural to think that everyone else should love it too! :)

New Article and Review

There's 1 new article and 1 new review today:

• One-Off Printed Circuit Board Making at Home
• SkyWatcher 114mm (4.5”) by 900mm Newtonian on EQ2 mount

Thanks as always to the authors for sharing their knowledge and experience with friends on IceInSpace.

Thanks for reading, keep looking up and keep coming back for more news and exciting changes on IceInSpace in the coming months.

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Hi all

With 2009, the International Year of Astronomy, drawing to a close, I thought it's now a perfect time to reflect upon the past year and highlight some of the more popular events, topics and statistics here on IceInSpace.

As a common trend, showcase astronomical events always bring the most visitors to IceInSpace - particularly the general public, and especially if the media grabs hold of it and reports about it on the various media outlets. The four most popular astronomical events in 2009 were:

1. Anthony Wesley (forum member "bird") discovered an impact strike on Jupiter
2. Total Solar Eclipse, 22nd July 2009
3. 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landings
4. Conjunctions, transits and eclipses 

Some of the most popular topics and threads on the IceInSpace Forum are often the ones in General Chat where we get to know each other a bit more. This is reflected again in the stats below, showing some of the most popular topics in 2009:

• Jupiter impact confirmed by JPL
• A Day of Devastation
• Is spelling old fashioned?
• What are you reading?
• I have a confession to make... 

Other popular threads were Star Party threads, particularly the ones about IIASC2009, Qld Astrofest and the SPSP.

During 2009, we passed some significant milestones, including:

• Passing 6,000 registered members (almost 7,000 now!)
• Turning 5 years old in September
• Passing 50,000 threads and 500,000 posts!
• Launching our first IceInSpace Compendium
• Launching the IceInSpace Facebook Page.
• Holding our 4th IceInSpace AstroCamp (IISAC2009)

Some other interesting IceInSpace statistics for 2009 include:

• Over 2,000 new member registrations (a little more than 2008) 
• Over 140,000 new posts (over 30% more than 2008)
• Almost 8,000,000 page views (over 30% more than 2008)
• Over 1,600 sets of items have been bought and sold through the IceTrade Classifieds (almost 50% more than 2008! What GFC!?)
• Apart from the IceInSpace Forum, the most popular pages on IceInSpace were the homepage, the Projects and Articles page, the Reviews page, the Moon Phase page and the Links page
• 47% of people are still browsing IceInSpace using Internet Explorer (55% last year). 2nd is Firefox with 39% (37% last year). Safari and Chrome make up almost 10%. 

I'm really looking forward to what 2010 will bring, for astronomy and for IceInSpace.

On behalf of IceInspace, Terry and I would like to thank everyone for being part of a fantastic year and a fantastic community. We wish everyone a safe and happy christmas and we'll be back with more in 2010!

All the best to you and your families.

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To celebrate Xmas 2009, IceInSpace is running a competition to reward our loyal and active members.

Most of us have collected something at some stage during our life - mostly when we were young I guess. For me it was stamps and coins. I had albums of them, and loved the thrill of getting something new to add to the collection.

What did you collect when you were a kid? What do you collect now?

How To Enter

To be in the running, all you have to do is post a (relevant) reply in the IceInSpace Xmas 2009 Competition - What Did You Collect When You Were a Kid? entries thread.

The members who have replied will go into a draw, and 12 lucky winners will be pulled out of the virtual barrel. You have to post your reply between Wednesday 2nd December 2009 9am, and Friday 11th December 2009, 3pm (AEDST).

For any questions, please visit the IceInSpace Xmas 2009 Competition - Discussion Thread.

Prizes

12 prize winners will receive a Young Collectors Space Coins Album, courtesy of the Perth Mint, valued at $79.95 each.

About the Space Coins Album

Celebrating the planets, explorers and stars of our solar system, the coins are encased in a lavish illustrated album that also includes a fact-packed guide to planets, a DVD about asteroids, two posters and an activity book to help kids retain knowledge about space.

About Young Collectors

In 2008, the historic Perth Mint released Young Collectors – an exciting Australian legal tender coin program exclusively designed for children to inspire their interest in the noble hobby of coin collecting.  Young Collectors is proving to be extremely popular among primary school-aged children, and with parents and grandparents looking to buy traditional toys and gifts with educational value and enduring appeal.

In response to the overwhelming success of the inaugural series, The Perth Mint has released the next chapter in the Young Collectors story.  The 2009 Young Collectors coin series will blast the imagination of children and adults into orbit, with nine Space $1 Coins each featuring a fascinating design – astronauts, rockets, shuttles, probes and many more.

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Hi all

We're offering an end of year discount to move some remaining Astronomy Calendar 2010.

The calendars are now only $13 each (includes postage within Australia), and you can get an additional 10% discount if you order 2 or 3 in the same order.

This sale is only on for 2 weeks, so place your order now!

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!

Find out more, and place your order from the Astronomy Calendar 2010 Info page.

Thanks for reading.

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Hi all

Embracing the new social media, we've created an IceInSpace Facebook page - so if you're already on Facebook, connect with IceInSpace and other members of the IceInSpace Community by becoming a fan.

 In other news, a couple of new telescope reviews have been added today:

• Meade 16" LX200 - The Best SCT Ever Made!
• Takahashi CN212 Corrected Newtonian

Please check out the Equipment Reviews section to read these reviews.

If you'd like to submit an article or review for inclusion on IceInSpace, please contact us.

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Hi all

IISAC2009 is now over for another year.. Planning has already begun for IIASC2010! The dates for IISAC2010 are:

IISAC2010 - Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights - 7th to 10th October, 2010

Make sure you lock those dates in now! It falls in the NSW school holidays so bring the family!

For reports and pics of IISAC2009, check the official IISAC2009 thread (starting from post 136 onwards (page 7)):

• IISAC2009 Reports and Pictures (my write-up and group photo here) 

In other news:

Astronomy 2010 Yearbook On-Sale Now

Astronomy 2010 is an astronomy yearbook produced by Quasar Publishing (Glenn Dawes, Peter Northfield and Ken Wallace). It's a must-have yearly almanac with tonnes of info about observing the night sky during 2010. It contains star charts and other ephemeris, dates and details of important astro events during the year and much more.

The yearbook has been designed for anyone who looks at the night sky whether they are using just their eyes, a pair of binoculars or a telescope. The book has something for everyone from the basic novice up to the advanced amateur astronomer. This includes those with a casual interest who might just want to know, "what is that bright star next to the Moon?"

IceInSpace has organised a bulk order of the Astronomy 2010 Yearbook, and you can now order your copy online for only $25 each which includes postage to your door (within Australia). You will receive a 10% discount if you order 2 or 3 yearbooks in the same order. 

The Astronomy 2010 Yearbook and Astronomy Calendar 2010 make a great christmas gift! Order yours before stock runs out!

Astronomy 2010 Yearbook and Calendar Order Page

IceInSpace Compendium 2009 Update

The compendiums go to print THIS WEEK! And hopefully they'll be able to start being posted towards the end of next week. I ordered about 30 extra for any last minute decisions - so if you missed buying one the first time around, or would like to buy an extra one, now is your last chance to secure one of those remaining 30.

Order here: IceInSpace Compendium 2009

Thanks for reading.

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Hi all

Orders for the IceInSpace Compendium 2009 will be closing in the next few days, so if you haven't got yourss order in yet, now is your last chance!

Orders close on the 30th September 2009, and the book will then be going into print. Shipment is expected by the end of October 2009.

So hurry and get your order in before you miss out!

IceInSpace Compendium 2009 - Info Page

The IceInSpace Compendium 2009 will be a great conversation starter at home, and will make a brilliant christmas gift for family and friends! Don't miss out!

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The IceInSpace Compendium 2009 is NOW ON SALE!

Put your orders in quickly! We've done a limited print run for our first year and it's first in best dressed - stock will run out!

Information and prices is on the following info page, and from there you can place your order:

IceInSpace Compendium 2009 - Info Page

Orders for the IceInSpace Compendium 2009 close at the end of September 2009, and books are expected to be posted by the end of October 2009.

The IceInSpace Compendium 2009 will be a great conversation starter at home, and will make a brilliant christmas gift for family and friends! Order yours before stock runs out!

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IceInSpace Compendium - Image Contributions Needed!

The IceInSpace Compendium is a going to be a "coffee table book" show-casing some of the excellent astrophotography of our IceInSpace community members.

Contributions are currently being accepted - so if you've got an image you're really proud of and want to be involved, then please read this thread for instructions on how and where to upload your images.

It's not a competition, and we're looking for about 80 contributors to make up the 80 page book. Check some of the recent attachments by Omaroo (Chris) showing the current contributions so you can try and ensure your image is as unique as possible (we don't want 80 pages of Eta Carinae :))

The book will go on sale to *all* IceInSpace members later this year and is expected to be priced around the AU$60 mark (final price to be determined).

How Much is Your Equipment Worth? The 2009 Version!

A popular thread from 2005 has been superceeded by a new 2009 version, with updated and more realistic dollar amounts. Vote in the poll and compare how much you've spent on your equipment versus others in the IceInSpace Community.

Join in the fun at this thread: How Much is your Equipment Currently Worth?

Post a Pic of Yourself!

Being part of a community is always more fun when you can put faces to the names you see on IceInSpace.

Have a look at all the mug shots of IceInSpace members and post your own at the following thread: Post a Pic of Yourself!

Thanks for reading. Keep looking up!

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IceInSpace turns 5 years old on September 13th, 2009, and we're running a giveaway competition to celebrate the occassion.

Over the last 5 years, IceInSpace has had a significant impact and made a significant contribution to the hobby of Amateur Astronomy in Australia, and around the world.

Now, we want to know what impact IceInSpace has had to YOU! How has IceInSpace helped you in amateur astronomy? What have you gotten out of IceInSpace? Inspiration? Motivation? Friendship? Knowledge? What keeps you coming back to visit IceInSpace every day or every week?

How To Enter

To be in the running, all you have to do is post a (relevant) reply in the IceInSpace 5th Birthday Competition - How IceInSpace Has Helped You entries thread.

The members who have replied will go into a draw, and 6 lucky winners will be pulled out of the virtual barrel. You have to post your reply between Monday 24th August 2009 5pm, and Thursday 3rd September 2009, 3pm (AEST).

For any questions, please visit the IceInSpace 5th Birthday Competition - Discussion Thread.

Prizes

The first prize winner will receive:

• STAR Atlas PRO: Pro-Am Edition by SKY:Lab Astronomy Software (valued at $155)
• Knowing (Nicholas Cage) DVD
• Three issues of the official PUSH comic series
• Double-pass to see PUSH in cinemas, valid nationally from September 10, 2009.

First runner up will receive:

• STAR Atlas PRO: Pro-Am Edition by SKY:Lab Astronomy Software (valued at $155)
• Double-pass to see PUSH in cinemas, valid nationally from September 10, 2009.

4 additional runners up will receive:

• Double-pass to see PUSH in cinemas, valid nationally from September 10, 2009.

PUSH

Only at the movies, September 10th 2009

In a dangerous world of psychic warfare, where artificially enhanced paranormals have the ability to move objects with their minds, see the future, and kill without touching their victims, a group of young American ex-pats with telekinetic abilities are in hiding from a secret US government agency.

A future-seeing Watcher, Cassie (Dakota Fanning), teams up with a telekinetic Mover, Nick (Chris Evans), to help steal a briefcase that will determine the future of civilisation. To outrun the government agents on their trail, they must enlist the help of a mysterious, mind-controlling Pusher, Kira (Camilla Belle).

As the complex series of events and interconnections unfold, the young psychics must employ their different talents and work together to escape the agency forever.

PUSH features an all star cast including Chris Evans (Fantastic Four), Camilla Belle (When a Stranger Calls), Dakota Fanning (War of the Worlds) and Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond).

http://www.iconmovies.com.au/push

STAR Atlas PRO

STAR Atlas:PRO™ is a spectacular Planetarium and Star Atlas packed with features for astronomers and stargazers of all levels.

Find the location of countless celestial objects in no time at all, display and print detailed star charts, point 'n click to control your telescope, plan observations, dozens more features.

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Only 2 months until IISAC2009

There's now only 2 months to go before IceInSpace AstroCamp 2009 kicks off. If you've never been to a star party before, IISAC2009 is a great opportunity to meet with, and observe with other amateur astronomers and star gazers who share your interest.

You don't need to own a telescope - there'll be plenty of people there willing to share the joy of observing under dark skies. 3RF will also be running nightly sky tours through several large 18" and 25" aperture telescopes.

With only 2 months to go, now's the time to get your booking in to make sure you qualify for the early-bird $10 discount.

To find out more, and to register for IISAC2009, please visit the IISAC2009 Info page.

IceInSpace Member Discovers New Impact Spot on Jupiter

The news is now a few weeks old, but we're very proud that one of our longest standing members, Anthony Wesley (bird), discovered a new impact scar on Jupiter on the 19th July.

IceInSpace was first to break the story, which spread rapidly via twitter, followed by the mainstream news and science media in the following days and weeks.

I can't think of anyone more worthy to have made this discovery, given Anthony's research and experimentation in high-resolution planetary imaging, and his willingness to share with the amateur astronomy community.

The impact scar is likely to be visible for only a few more weeks, as it continues to spread out and disperse - so if you can, take the opportunity to head outside and observe it before it's gone for good. To find out when the impact scar is visible, use the "Jupiter Observing Guide for August 2009" article.

Other IceInSpace Member Discoveries

The IceInSpace community is full of extremely talented amateur astronomers who are doing incredible work in their respective fields, contributing greatly to our hobby and our science.

Not only did Anthony Wesley (bird) discover the impact scar on Jupiter, but in the last year or two we've also had:

• Peter Marples (PeterM) from QLD has discovered several supernovas
• Stuart Parker (Park123) from NZ has discovered a supernova
• Terry Lovejoy (CometGuy) from QLD has discovered a comet
• Gordon Garradd (loomberah) from NSW (a professional astronomer) has discovered several asteroids and comets

It goes to show the depth of talent in our community and we're very proud that they contribute their knowledge and expertise with their friends at IceInSpace.

Images of the Apollo Lunar Landers

If you haven't seen them yet, you just have to check out these incredible images of the Apollo landing sites as imaged by NASA's Lunar Reconnaisance Orbiter (LRO).

They were taken on July 11-15 and clearly show the Lunar Modules and their long shadows cast by the low sun angle.

LRO Images Apollo Landing Sites

As the LRO continues its orbit around the Moon, it will take more images at even greater resolution over the coming weeks and months.

Discussions on IceInSpace at this forum thread.

Thanks for reading.

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In breaking news, Anthony Wesley from Canberra, Australia looks to have captured a new impact spot on Jupiter.

[UPDATE 9pm AEST: It's been confirmed by Glenn Orton from JPL, that the new spot is indeed an impact site. Glenn is imaging the site right now with the NASA Infrared Telescope].

Anthony's image below shows the new dark spot in the South Polar Region (SPR) of Jupiter, at approximately 216° longitude in System 2. It looks very similar to the impact marks made on Jupiter when comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 crashed into the gas giant in 1994.

You can read Anthony’s commentary about the image and see other images from the session at Anthony’s temporary website, and you can join in the discussions with Anthony on this forum thread on IceInSpace.

The list below shows the times (in UT) when the impact mark will be visible again (generated in WinJupos by Hans-Joerg Mettig.

----------------------------------------------------------

2009 Jul 19 06:09 ( 216°) 16:05 ( 216°)
2009 Jul 20 02:00 ( 216°) 11:56 ( 216°) 21:52 ( 216°)
2009 Jul 21 07:47 ( 216°) 17:43 ( 216°)
2009 Jul 22 03:38 ( 216°) 13:34 ( 216°) 23:30 ( 216°)
2009 Jul 23 09:25 ( 216°) 19:21 ( 216°)
2009 Jul 24 05:16 ( 216°) 15:12 ( 216°)
2009 Jul 25 01:08 ( 216°) 11:03 ( 216°) 20:59 ( 216°)
2009 Jul 26 06:54 ( 216°) 16:50 ( 216°)
2009 Jul 27 02:45 ( 216°) 12:41 ( 216°) 22:37 ( 216°)
2009 Jul 28 08:32 ( 216°) 18:28 ( 216°)
2009 Jul 29 04:23 ( 216°) 14:19 ( 216°)
2009 Jul 30 00:15 ( 216°) 10:10 ( 216°) 20:06 ( 216°)
2009 Jul 31 06:01 ( 216°) 15:57 ( 216°)
----------------------------------------------------------

If you get the opportunity to observe or image this potential new discovery, please do so! This will be amazing for Anthony and wish him luck!

Our heart-felt congratulations go out to Anthony for his amazing discovery image. The recognition he's likely to get is so well deserved, after all his hard work in the last few years.

All of the IceInSpace community is riding with you on this fantastic journey!

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It's with great pleasure I can announce that we are now accepting registrations for IISAC2009!

With only 3 months to go, now is the time to get yourself organised, put in those leave forms, put in your registration booking for IISAC2009 and start counting down the days!

You can book online through the IISAC2009 Info Page.

The IISAC2009 Programme of Events (agenda) is also now online and downloadable from the info page.

Don't forget there's the Early Bird Discount - $10 off the total price if you book and pay before the 22nd September, 2009.

I look forward to seeing you at IISAC2009!

Register Online for IISAC2009!

If you have any questions about your registration or the camp in general, please contact me.

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Hi all

A few things to tell you about today:

Order your "Astronomy Calendar 2010" Now!

IceInSpace is offering the Astronomy Calendar 2010 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. Three IceInSpace stickers included free (while stocks last)

Find out more, and place your order from the Astronomy Calendar 2010 Info page.

IceInSpace Coffee Table Book

There's been a bit of discussion on the forums about producing an IceInSpace Coffee Table Book - a visual feast containing images from IceInSpace members and a little information about each of the photographers.

It would potentially make a great gift, or a great conversation starter to show guests when they visit.

The idea is still in the early stages, and Chris (Omaroo) is trying to get more of an indication of:

1. How many people might be interested in contributing an image to the book,
2. How many people might be interested in purchasing the book, and
3. How much you'd be prepared to pay.

We'd love you to read the following threads and vote in the poll to help us gather enough data to know whether the idea is worth pursuing. Remember: It's just an indication only - there is no commitment.

• IIS Almanac: Coffee Table Book
• Poll: Would you submit an image or buy the IIS Coffee Table Book?

New Articles and Review

In other news, some new articles have been uploaded today:

• Using K3CCDTools Drift Explorer for Drift Alignment
• "Bright" Ideas
• Book Review: The Brightest Stars
• ST80 Finder on a 12" Dob - An Experience

Thanks very much to the authors who contribute content to IceInSpace. If you'd like to contribute a how-to, project, diy, review or other info to IceInSpace, please contact us.

Thanks for reading.

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It's just over 4 months now until IISAC2009 - the 4th instalment of the IceInSpace AstroCamp!

Have you got your annual leave forms in? Have you earned enough brownie points with your partner?

IISAC2009 is taking place on the 15th to the 18th October, 2009, at Lostock in the Hunter Valley of NSW. The IISAC2009 page is now live, and you can get all the information you need to know from there:

IceInSpace AstroCamp: 15th - 18th October 2009

Admittedly, not all information is there yet - such as prices, registration form and some other essentials, but there's enough there to start getting excited about. Keep checking back as the organisation ramps up and I continue to add more information to the page.

A selection of photos from IISAC2008 (and other previous IISAC's) are at the bottom of the page. Enjoy!

I hope to see you there!

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Over the weekend, IceInSpace reached another exciting milestone - passing 6000 registered members!

It's been less than 12 months since we celebrated the 5000 members (in September 2008), and to be celebrating 6000 members already is a fantastic achievement and a testament to this great community of like-minded people.

In a different thread, someone asked "what's the prize for being the 6000th member?", and the response sums up the attitude and spirit of the IceInSpace Community:

"Their reward is a wealth of knowledge and the opportunity to get to know some extraordinary people."

While the number of members on its own doesn't really mean much in the big scheme of things, it's the fact that it continues to grow (and at an ever-expanding rate) that proves we're doing something right here.

Another 1000 members in less than 12 months shows that IceInSpace is the place to come to learn, to make friends, to get information, to buy and sell telescope equipment, to ask questions, to get feedback, to share images and to grow your interest in all things astronomy.

With our 5th birthday coming up in September, it's going to be a great year for achieving milestones.

Thanks to the IceInSpace community for making this site what it is. For your thoughts and discussion, visit this forum thread.

Thanks for reading.

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July 20th, 2009 (July 21 in Australia) marks the 40th Anniversary since the Apollo 11 Moon Landing. Almost anyone alive at the time will be able to tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing, the moment that Apollo 11 Commander, Neil Armstrong, first stepped onto the Moon and spoke those now immortal words:

"One small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind".

To celebrate the 40th Anniversary, I've written an article which takes us through the Apollo 11 journey with some background, highlights and incredible images.

40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing

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It's that time of year again, when the emails and powerpoint presentations start going around about Mars being as big or as bright as the Full Moon on August 27th. I've received several emails from people asking about it in the last couple of weeks.

It's a hoax and email spam. You can safely ignore and delete it, and don't propogate it by forwarding it onto people :)

Read more at the following article:

Mars will NOT be as Big as the Full Moon on August 27th!

In other news:

• A new Review has been published, for the Meade 12" Deluxe Lightbridge.
• IYA2009 Events for May can be found in this thread.
• The South Pacific Star Party (SPSP17), hosted by the ASNSW is on from the 22nd-24th May. It's a fantastic time under brilliant (and cold) dark skies! Register soon and I'll hopefully see you there!
• A new "Radio Astronomy and Spectroscopy" sub-forum has been created for all discussions of Radio Astronomy, Spectroscopy and Variable Star Observing.
• Jupiter is getting very high before dawn now, and it's a great time to get up early to observe it. Any time between 5am to dawn will be best.
• Venus is shining brilliantly in the East just before Dawn. This is the time of year when I can imagine there's a lot more UFO reports than normal! It's above and to the left of Mars, the much dimmer red star visible about 20deg above the horizon.

That's all for this week, keep looking up!

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Hi all

Thanks to the valuable contributions of the IceInSpace community, there's a few new reviews and a new article that have been uploaded today.

• Review of the SkyWatcher FlexTube 12" Dobsonian
• Review of the 10" Skywatcher Dobsonian
• Review of the Takahashi Mewlon 250
• Article: Star Lineups

Thanks again to the authors who take their time to contribute content to IceInSpace. Without your efforts and willingness to share your valuable knowledge and experience, IceInSpace wouldn't be what it is today.

If you'd like to contribute a how-to article, a DIY project, a review of any equipment, book, software etc, then we'd love to hear from you. Please contact us.

Don't forget that this weekend it's the global 100 Hours of Astronomy event as part of the International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009). There's a huge number of events around Australia and there's likely to be one near you.

Check out a list of events on and keep an eye on the IYA2009 forum on IceInSpace.

Thanks for reading.

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Titan Transit Wrap

Unfortunately I was clouded out last night (again) so wasn't able to view the last Titan transit of 2009. Fortunately IceInSpace member Lester had clear skies and reasonable seeing to be able to capture it. This thread has his first image, and there'll be more to come. Titan's shadow is the dark spot and Titan is like a pimple just above and to the right.

Keep an eye on the Solar System forum for more images as people get through the processing.

If you missed it, don't despair - there's still some Titan Shadow Transits to see in 2009. Titan will also transit Saturn a few more times in 2010 - more information about those events in the next few weeks.

"Knowing" Giveaway Promotion

IceInSpace is fortunate enough to be able to give away 10 "Knowing" prize packs to lucky IceInSpace members.

Each prize pack includes:

• A double in-season pass to "Knowing" (valid nationally from March 26th)
• A 'Knowing' carabiner key-ring torch

KNOWING

Only at the movies 26.03.09

Academy Award® winner Nicolas Cage (National Treasure 2, Leaving Las Vegas) stars in KNOWING, the next gripping action-thriller of global proportions from Australian visionary Alex Proyas (I, Robot, The Crow).

When an Astrophysics professor stumbles on a set of coded numbers, written in 1959 and buried in a time capsule at his son’s school, he makes a startling discovery. The cryptic message predicts every major disaster of the past 50 years and holds chilling predictions about future catastrophes—the last of which hints at destruction on a global scale.

Rose Byrne (Troy, Two Hands), Ben Mendelsohn (Australia, ‘Love My Way’) and Chandler Canterbury (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) also star in this riveting feature about a father’s desperate battle to save his child—and the world.

http://knowing-themovie.com

"Knowing" Train Crash Teaser Promo

How To Enter

To be in the running for the giveaway, all you have to do is post a reply to the "Knowing" Giveaway - Your Favourite Sci-Fi or Disaster Film thread with your favourite science fiction and/or disaster movie.

The members who have replied will go into a draw and 10 lucky winners will be pulled out of the virtual barrel. You have to post your reply between Monday 16th March 7am, and Saturday 21st March 7am. 

For any questions, please visit the "Knowing" Giveaway - Discussion Thread.

Thanks for reading.

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Hi all

Unfortunately for me, the night of the 24th February and morning of 25th February was completely clouded out, so I wasn't able to capture any images of the Titan Transit, or of Comet Lulin's close approach.

Fortunately though, we have a whole community at IceInSpace and some of them had clear skies and were able to capture these events.

So here's a short wrap-up of those events with some links to their images.

Titan Transit

• Beautiful colour image by Anthony Wesley (bird).
• Colour image, fantastic animation and more images by Trevor Barry (Quark).
• Collection of images by Tony (firstlight).
• Moon and shadow transit image by Lester.
• Titan transit image by Rob F.

Comet C/2007 N3 Lulin

• Two beautiful images by Gary Hill (Garyh)
• Stunning image by Werner (prokyon)
• Lulin Video by Jonathan (AstroJunk)
• Lulin animation and widefield by Jeanette (jjjnettie)
• Image by Barry (bloodhound31)
• Lulin image from the Sunshine Coast by Mark (batema)
• 2 images by Tony (anthony.tony)
• Lulin image by Chris (Outbackmanyep)
• Close up image by Bert (avandonk)

All of these images, and more, can be found on the IceInSpace Solar System forum, so please keep checking back for new images by our talented community here at IceInSpace!

Thanks for looking.

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Hi all

It's a pretty busy month for conjunctions and transits, and for eclipses, get ready for July! The longest eclipse of the century! More below.

This morning was the first in a series of lovely pre-dawn conjunctions in our morning skies, with the Moon, Jupiter, Mercury and Mars on display in the East. Keep an eye on the Solar System forum for images later today, or see my images here: Photos of the Moon, Mercury, Jupiter and Mars conjunction.

The trio of planets will be around for the next few days so if you missed it today, don't forget to have a look tomorrow or Wednesday as Jupiter and Mercury will be at their closest.

The best time to view is between 5:30am and 6am, as after 6am the sky is brightening too fast and Mercury and Mars will be lost in the morning glow.

For more information:

• Jupiter, Mars and Mercury Conjunction - 25th February 2009
• Moon, Venus and Mars Conjunction - 23rd April 2009

The transit of Titan across the face of Saturn occurs on the 24th February and then again on the 12th - and that's the last time it'll occur in 2009. So I hope you get clear skies! Weather forecasts aren't looking good for me, but I hope they're wrong!

More information: Upcoming Transits of Titan at Saturn - February and March 2009

If you're after an adventure, don't forget about the upcoming Total Solar Eclipse in China, on 22nd July 2009. It's being reported as the best this century, as totality lasts over 6 minutes in some places. I know there are a number of eclipse-chasers on IceInSpace, who already travel the world chasing the shadow of the Moon as it falls upon the Earth. From all reports, these are spectacular events - something you'll never forget and definitely worth making an effort to see.

Eclipse tours can be the best way to experience this event, as you get to combine the eclipse with a holiday and share it with others after that same experience. SkyWings Travel is offering two tours to China that take in the Total Solar Eclipse on July 22 - they may be worth checking out if you're keen to let a tour company handle all the details for you.

To read more about the Total Solar Eclipse, I've written an article which will give you all the information you need to prepare for this rare event, including:

• What is a Solar Eclipse?
• When and Where can I see it?
• Eclipse Tours
• Viewing / Observing Guide
• Photography / Imaging Guide
• Upcoming Solar Eclipses

You can read the article by clicking on the link below:

Total Solar Eclipse, 22nd July 2009 - Observing / Imaging Guide

You'll be able to read reports and view images taken by IceInSpace members on the IceInSpace Forum. A discussion thread has been created here, so keep an eye on it and we'd love for you to contribute your thoughts and experiences - please register so you can start posting!

Thanks for reading.

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Hi all

It's been a long time since the last interview on IceInSpace, but I'll try and find time to do them more regularly in 2009. This interview is with Simon O'Toole, extra-solar planet hunter working at the Anglo-Australian Telescope, and is one of those at the forefront of this new research and is part of a team who has discovered more than 30 planets orbiting other stars.

I talk to Simon about his discoveries, the methods used to find extra-solar planets, and what the future holds in this exciting field. Will we find another Earth?

Read the interview with Simon O'Toole.

Transits of one of Saturn’s Moons or the Moon’s shadow across Saturn’s disk are very rare events. Due to the tilt of the ring plane, we are only able to observe these events once every 14-15 years, when the rings are “edge on” as seen from our location on Earth.

Right now, we are in the middle of a “ring plane crossing” and in 2009, there are 4 visible transits of Saturn’s largest Moon, Titan, across the face of the planet. The first one occurred on January 24th, and I was fortunately able to capture 3 images to create an animation.

There are 3 more upcoming transits of Titan across the face of Saturn, on February 9th, February 24th and March 12th 2009. I've written an article listing the exact times, where and how you can see it, and includes a simulation showing the position of Titan while transiting Saturn. Read it at:

Upcoming Transits of Titan at Saturn - February and March 2009

I hope you get clear skies to observe (and photograph, if that’s your thing) these rare events! Please post your observing reports in the Observational Astronomy section and your images in the Solar System section of the forums

Thanks for reading.

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Hi all

I hope everyone had a great christmas and new year. The new year brings us some exciting celestial events to look forward to.

• Partial Solar Eclipse - 26th January 2009
• Moon, Jupiter, Mars and Mercury Conjunction - 23rd February 2009
• Jupiter, Mars and Mercury Conjunction - 25th February 2009
• Moon, Venus and Mars Conjunction - 23rd April 2009

Please click on the links to read the articles describing where and how you can see these, how to observe and photograph them, etc.

I look forward to reading your reports and seeing your images on the IceInSpace Forum.

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Hi all

With 2008 drawing to a close, I thought it's now a perfect time to reflect upon the past year and highlight some of the more popular events, topics and statistics here on IceInSpace.

As a common trend, showcase astronomical events always bring the most visitors to IceInSpace - particularly the general public, and especially if the media grabs hold of it and reports about it on the various media outlets. The three most popular astronomical events in 2008 were:

1. Smiley Face Conjunction, 1st December 2008 (pics here)
2. Partial Solar Eclipse, 7th February 2008 (pics and animation from Brisbane here)
3. Partial Lunar Eclipse, 17th August 2008 (animation from Perth here)

Some of the most popular topics and threads on the IceInSpace Forum were:

• Perfect focusing with the bahtinov mask
• What do you do for work?
• What are your OTHER hobbies?
• The introduction of green laser pointer laws
• The axing of the ABC Radio show "StarStuff"

During 2008, we passed some significant milestones, including reaching 5,000 registered members, and turning 4 years old in September. Some other IceInSpace statistics for 2008 include:

• Almost 2,000 new member registrations
• Approx 110,000 new posts
• Over 6,000,000 page views
• Over 1,200 sets of items have been bought and sold through the IceTrade Classifieds
• Apart from the IceInSpace Forum, the most popular pages on IceInSpace were the homepage, the Projects and Articles page, the Reviews page, the Moon Phase page and the Links page
• 55% of people are still browsing IceInSpace using Internet Explorer - but it's coming down. 2nd is Firefox with 37%.

From a personal point of view, 2008 has been exciting but also very challenging.

• I started a new job in January, which has been a mix of exciting, rewarding, challenging and frustrating
• I've generally had poor weather and have found it difficult to motivate myself for astronomy
• I launched my personal website blog and image gallery, mikesalway.com.au
• I was fortunate enough to be featured on APOD twice! (30th Sep, 5th Dec)
• I started selling prints on RedBubble, and have been rewarded with a few sales already.

I'm really looking forward to what 2009 will bring, for astronomy and for IceInSpace. Being the International Year of Astronomy, it should be an even bigger year than 2008 as there's likely to be a lot more media interest in astronomy in general, and particular some of the big astronomical events.

On behalf of IceInspace, Terry and I would like to thank everyone for being part of a fantastic year and a fantastic community. We wish everyone a safe and happy christmas and we'll be back with more in 2009!

All the best to you and your families.

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Hi all

2009 is going to be a special year for us amateur astronomers and for everyone who has a love and an interest in looking at the night sky. It's the International Year of Astronomy, or IYA2009 for short, and is a celebration of astronomy and a great chance to popularise, promote and teach astronomy to people of all ages.

IceInSpace plans to play an integral part in IYA2009 by hosting local, national and worldwide IYA2009 events and activities, as well as helping individuals, astronomy clubs and societies promote their own local activites.

We are well-placed as a community to make the most out of this year and use it as a fabulous opportunity to reach the masses - to take our hobby to the 99% of the population who have probably never looked through a telescope. To show them why we love this hobby so much and to hopefully give them the chance to look up at a dark, moonless sky with wonder and delight.

A new forum, International Year of Astronomy - IYA2009, has been created to announce, discuss and report on all IYA2009 related activities and events. Whether you're an individual and want to do something in your local community, or a club who is planning a number of local events, you can promote and discuss your ideas here. If you've got questions or you want to get involved, here's the place to ask. And when you've got reports or pictures from any IYA2009 events, there's the place to post them.

As a community, IceInSpace is planning to organise a number of activities and events, and so to help with ideas, planning and execution, I've started to assemble an IceInSpace IYA2009 Committee who will work behind the scenes to get things moving.

We plan to work closely with Astronomy Clubs and Societies for the benefit of everyone, especially the general public who we will be aiming to reach. So even if your club is already planning IYA2009 activities (which most already are), please get in touch with me to see how we can work together to make them even bigger and better.

I'm very excited about what 2009 will bring!

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Make sure you head outside over the next week and look to the West after sunset - you’ll see the brilliant Venus and Jupiter closing in on each other until they are at their closest on the evening of the 1st December, 2008.

What makes this conjunction even more special, is that the pairing is also joined by the thin crescent Moon - giving us our very own smiley face in the sky! Check the image below to see what I mean.

The view above is what you’ll see from mid-latitudes in Australia at around 8pm AEDST on the 1st December. Your view might be slightly different depending on where in Australia you live, and it might even be upside down if you live elsewhere on Earth.

Venus and Jupiter will be a close 2° apart, and the Moon will be about 3.5° away from both of the bright planets.

But don’t wait until the 1st December, just in-case it’s cloudy on that day! The couple of days before and after the 1st December still show a lovely conjunction of the planets but the Moon will be further away. The video here shows an animation of the motion from a few days before to a few days after the 1st December.

I just love conjunctions like this and love photographing them. Now I need to find a nice spot to set up and take some photos. Here’s hoping for clear skies!

Make sure you get out and take a look or a photo or two as well. I'd love to see your results posted in the Solar System Images forum on IceInSpace.

Good luck!

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Hi all

IISAC2008 is now over for another year.. Planning has already begun for IIASC2009! The dates for IISAC2009 are:

Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights - 15th to 18th October, 2009

Make sure you lock those dates in now! It falls in the NSW school holidays so bring the family!

Some threads of interest for the IISAC2008 wrap:

• IISAC2008 Reports and Pictures (my write-up and group photo here)
• IISAC2008 Portraits

In other news, I still have copies of the Astronomy 2009 Yearbook available for sale. In addition, I now have the Astronomy Calendar 2009 available for sale.

The Astronomy 2009 Calendar by Astrovisuals features 12 great images and daily details about planetary positions, eclipses, lunar occultations, planetary conjunctions, meteor showers, etc.  The calendar is A4 in size (opens to A3) and has been designed for use in Australia and NZ.

Prices

• Astronomy 2009 Yearbook: $23 (includes postage within Australia) (RRP $24 excl postage)
• Astronomy 2009 Calendar: $13 (includes postage within Australia) (RRP $14.95 excl postage)
• Order them together and save! Buy both for $33 which includes postage to your door (within Australia)

The Astronomy 2009 Yearbook and Astronomy 2009 Calendar make a great christmas gift! Order yours before stock runs out!

Astronomy 2009 Yearbook and Calendar Order Page

Thanks for reading.

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Hi all

IISAC2008 is now only a week away! It starts on Thursday October 30, and goes for 3 nights. Even if you haven't registered yet, you're still welcome to make your booking now or even just turn up on any of the days. There's already over 130 registrations, and there's still plenty of space available. We'd love to see you there.

The online registration form is linked from the IISAC2008 Info page.

Make sure you keep an eye on IceInSpace for the reports, pictures and images as people stumble back in after a great weekend away.

In other news, the Astronomy 2009 Yearbook is now available to purchase.  Astronomy 2009 by Quasar Astronomy is a must-have yearly almanac with tonnes of info about observing the night sky in Australia during 2009. It contains star charts and other ephemeris, dates and details of important astronomical events during the year and much more.

You can purchase your book through IceInSpace for only $23, which includes postage to you door. You'll also receive 3 free IceInSpace stickers!

Books are expected in-stock in early November. You can order yours using the online order form at the the Astronomy 2009 Order Page.

Lastly, I have created a new personal blog site and image gallery, to share my thoughts and images. It was launched in the last few days, and you can check out my new site at:

mikesalway.com.au  - Astronomy and Photography by Mike Salway

Your feedback is most welcome!

Thanks for reading.

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Hi all

In less than 3 weeks time, I'll be enjoying the dark skies at IISAC2008! Where will you be? :)

The field maps have been uploaded, as well as the IISAC2008 Sky Lists.

• Field Map 1
• Field Map 2
• IISAC2008 Sky Lists

If you're planning on registering, please do so ASAP so I can finalise catering, t-shirts and marquee size by mid-next-week (to give as accurate numbers as possible).

Remember to keep an eye on the forum thread for more discussion.

I hope to see you there.

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Hi all

The countdown really begins in ernest now! Only 1 month to go until IISAC2008 kicks off for another year!

The Programme of Events has now been finalised, and we have some great guest speakers to entertain and educate you during the days, and some large 18" and 25" scopes to keep you entertained and amazed at night!

If you're still thinking of coming, then please, don't be shy! We'd love to see you there. There's no limit on the camping space available and everyone is welcome. There's still bunkbeds available if that's your preference, but they'll start to fill up over the next 2 weeks.

I'm starting to firm up the numbers for the catering and the t-shirt orders, so it'd be great if you could get your registrations in sooner rather than later so I don't order too many (or too few!).

My family and I went up to Lostock for some site reconnaissance last weekend, and the skies are beautiful and dark, just as I remembered them. The swimming hole was a treat for the kids to cool off in on the hot Saturday. I also did a bit of night-time photography to show the beautiful skies. Here's a few images to whet your apetite:

• Swimming hole and camping area
• Southern Star Trails over Lostock
• The Milky Way at Lostock

Remember to get your booking and payment in before the 14th October to get the $10 early-bird payment discount!

Things are starting to get exciting now! Time to start your weather dance or whatever it is you do to bring on nice weather and clear skies!

I look forward to seeing you there!

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Hi all

I'm really pleased to announce that IceInSpace celebrates its birthday today, turning 4 years old! It's yet another fantastic milestone reached by our great community, and continues to show the strength and loyalty of everyone who makes up IceInSpace.

That's not just me and Terry, or the moderators. It's every one of you that helps to play a part in making IceInSpace what it is today. Everyone who visits the site, reads the forums, posts questions and posts answers, posts your images and contributes content to the site. If it wasn't for all of you, IceInSpace wouldn't still be here 4 years on, as strong as we are today.

What started 4 years ago as a little home on the internet, has grown so much - has exceed all of the expectations we had back then about what we hoped to achieve with IceInSpace. Our goals and vision have grown since then and now we have a grander vision for what we want to achieve with this great site; what we want to offer in a website to the astronomical community around the world.

We have a great number of plans in motion and on the drawing board, and hope to bring some new features to you over the next 3-6 months.

At this time of year, we usually celebrate with a birthday quiz. Hopefully you already know that the birthday quiz has been moved back a few weeks to coincide with IISAC2008.

IISis4 will begin on the 10th October, and the prizes will be drawn at IISAC2008 on the 1st November.

Please check the official IISis4 thread for more.

Terry and I would like to extend our thanks to the moderators, who do such a great job and are such great friends. They keep things ticking along and running smoothly and you hardly ever notice they're there. Which is what a moderator should be.

Thanks again to the community for your contributions to IceInSpace, and together we will continue to grow and shape amateur astronomy in our region.

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Hi all

With only 2 months to go until IISAC2008, it's time to start planning! Put in those leave forms at work, start buttering up the partner, get the kids excited!

What a great opportunity to observe under dark skies, meet up with old and new friends from the IceInSpace community, and share this great hobby with like-minded people. If you've never been to a star party before, now is the perfect opportunity to get along to your first one. You'll never look back!

If you've ever wanted to see the spiral arm structure of other galaxies in our universe, or see the gaseous dusty nebulosity from far away regions where stars are being born, or see magnificent globular clusters containing a million stars bound by their combined gravity - then the IceInSpace AstroCamp 2008 is for you!

If you've never been out under dark skies, away from the city glow to see the brilliant Milky Way stretching overhead, then IISAC2008 is for you!

For more information, prices, and the registration page, head on over to the IISAC2008 page.

We also welcome two new sponsors for IISAC2008 and IISis4 - Australian Sky & Telescope, and The Imaging Source Astronomy Cameras. We thank you for your support.

Thanks for reading.

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Hi all

It's with great pleasure I can announce that IISAC2008 Registrations are NOW OPEN!

The online registration form is linked from the IISAC2008 Info page.

With only 2.5 months to go, make your booking early, and make your payment early (before 14th October) to receive a $10 discount off the total price.

The IISAC2008 Info page has also been updated to include details of the catered dinner provided by the Gresford RFB (should you choose to include dinner in your booking), and also a look at the IISAC2008 T-Shirt design.

I look forward to seeing you there. Please contact me if you have any questions or problems with your registration or the online form.

Thanks!

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Hi all

Some new articles and reviews and other news updated on IceInSpace today:

IISAC2008 and IISis4

On the 13th September 2008, IceInSpace turns 4 years old - a fantastic and important milestone, made even more exciting by the running of our birthday quiz! It's our chance to give something back to our loyal community and celebrate our birthday with you.

Due to the close proximity of the IISis4 quiz and IISAC2008, we've decided to move the birthday quiz to coincide with IISAC2008 - so the birthday quiz will take place in the weeks leading up to IISAC2008, with the prize draw happening at IISAC2008! For more information, check the IISis4 page or the IISAC2008 page by clicking on the logos above.

Thanks to the generous sponsors who are supporting both IISis4 and IISAC2008 by donating prizes that you can win! Please support them, as they support these two great events.

New Articles and Reviews

Thanks to the contributions of some members of the IceInSpace community, some new articles and reviews have been added for your consumption today:

• Review: 8" Lightbridge
• Article: Basic Setup Procedure for a German Equatorial Mount (GEM) Telescope
• Article: A Simple Polar Alignment Jig for a GEM Tripod
• Article: Spectroscopes part 2 - New 200mm Littrow design
• Article: SynScan Alignment Stars and Matching Finder Charts
• Upcoming Event: RASNZAPS NZ Astrophotography Camp

Thanks again to the authors for submitting their work to be included on IceInSpace. If you'd like to contribute an article, review or other content to IceInSpace, please contact me.

Thanks for reading. Until next time..

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Hi all

There's a couple of upcoming celestial events to note in your diaries.

Saturn and Mars Conjunction : Thursday and Friday evening after Sunset

Following on from the straight-line conjunction of the Moon, Regulus, Mars and Saturn last Sunday night, on Thursday and Friday evening this week (10th and 11th July), Mars and Saturn will be in close conjunction - a mere 40' (arcminutes) apart (just over half a degree).

That's close enough to fit them both in the same field of view of most widefield eyepieces of moderately sized telescopes (depending on your focal length). They'll also easily fit in the same field of view of most astrophotography setups, such as DSLR hooked up to an ED80.

Make sure you head on out and take a look, and don't forget to post your reports in the Observational Astronomy forum, and your pictures in the Solar System forum. Look to the North West after sunset - Mars will look orange and Saturn will look yellow. Good luck for clear skies! 

Partial Lunar Eclipse, 17th August 2008

The Total Lunar Eclipse of last August 28 was an amazing time for amateur astronomers everywhere. The upcoming Partial Lunar Eclipse on August 17th isn't likely to generate quite the same excitement or media interest, but they still happen infrequently enough that it's worth making an effort to get up early to check out the Moon as it heads into Earth's shadow.

For Australians and New Zealanders, it will occur as the Moon is setting in the West. In fact for most of us, the Moon will set before it reaches the greatest partial eclipse. West Australian's get the best view this time time around and will see almost the entire eclipse from start to finish.

For more information, including a viewing and imaging guide and where and when you can see it, please see the article:

Partial Lunar Eclipse, 17th August 2008 - Viewing / Imaging Guide

I reckon it's worth getting out of bed for on a Sunday morning.. how about you? Discuss the Partial Lunar Eclipse here on IceInSpace.

In other news, the Image of the Week Archives is now available on IceInSpace. See all of the past images that really showcase the talent of the astrophotographers in the IceInSpace Community. The page is available here and also under the Resources menu.

Thanks for reading.

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Our mission at IceInSpace is to help grow and advance astronomy and science in our region - to unite people from all over Australia and all over the world who share a common interest.

Our aim is to inform, educate and entertain - by providing a facility where people can ask questions, get advice and information and discuss a wide range of topics related to astronomy and science. We hope to foster an increasing interest in amateur astronomy and science to benefit people of all ages.

We are also happy to support, proudly sponsor and help promote events that share these common goals. There are a number of events coming up over the next few months which we encourage you to take a look at:

2008 Australian Earth Sciences Convention: 20-24 July, Perth, Western Australia
The AESC is Australia’s premier geoscience conference and a major event on the international geosciences calendar. It is expected to attract more than 1000 Australian and international delegates and will feature more than 135 presenters and 450 papers.
Mass extinctions on Earth, asteroid impacts, what 3.5 billion year old fossils can tell us about evolution, and exciting information being gathered by NASA’s current mission to Mars will be among a wide range of planetary science topics on offer at the mega-conference.
Forum discussion.

Queensland Astrofest 2008: 25 July - 3 August, Duckadang, Queensland
Now in its 16th year and organised jointly by the astronomical societies of the South East Queensland region, the Astrofest is open to all amateur astronomers.  It is held at Lions Camp Duckadang about two hours drive (170km) north west of Brisbane and provides a unique opportunity for up to six nights of viewing and imaging at a great dark sky site.
Forum discussion.

Border Stargaze 2008: 28-31 August, Albury/Wodonga, New South Wales
The Border Stargaze is now in its 2nd year, and is held at The Wymah Valley Retreat formerly known as The Great Aussie Resort. The exciting news is that the retreat has undergone a major transformation. The quality and types of accommodation available have increased in addition to significant improvements to the existing facilities. The retreat is a premier dark sky location with an average reading of 6.4 Magnitude, fantastic!!!!
Forum discussion.

IceInSpace AstroCamp 2008: 30 October - 2 November, Lostock, New South Wales
IISAC2008 is star party organised by the IceInSpace community, now in its 3rd year and takes place at the Lostock Scout Camp, Lostock in the beautiful Hunter Valley area of NSW. The location was chosen because of its proximity to Sydney, the Central Coast and Newcastle, and at under 4 hours drive from Sydney you'll be amongst clear, very dark skies in a lovely country setting. We're expecting over 200 registrations this year and is a great place to meet the IceInSpace community!
Forum discussion.

International Year of Astronomy - 2009
In 2009 it will be 400 years since the Italian scientist Galileo Galilei turned a telescope the heavens. The International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009), a global celebration of astronomy and its contributions to society and culture, marks this event. With the theme of “The Universe, Yours to Discover”, IYA will help reconnect people with the night sky, the common heritage of humanity. IYA2009 is an initiative of the International Astronomical Union, the body that represents professional astronomers worldwide, and UNESCO, the educational and cultural arm of the United Nations. IYA2009 activities will take place locally, regionally and nationally.

IceInSpace plans to play an integral part in hosting and promoting local IYA2009 events through our site and forums. Keep an eye out for activities as they are planned and announced.

Keep coming back to IceInSpace for news and updates, and share this information with your friends and family.

Read the Full Story

• 16" Tri-Dob improvements including ArgoNavis and ServoCat
• Balancing your home-made dobsonian
• Setting Up and Using a Celestron CG5 Mount
• Revealing Star Colours using the Defocusing Technique
• Review: Skywatcher ED80 Pro
• Review: QHY8 One Shot Colour Cooled Camera

• "First Name" in your forum profile. This is for registered members of the IceInSpace Forum (register here), where your first name will appear next to your username when you post. See this forum thread for an example and discussion about this feature.
  
• A new Search Page has been added as you can see in the menu on the left. Working through Google search, you have the option of searching the entire site, just the forum, or an internet wide search.

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• NASA Phoenix Mission Pages
• Phoenix Images
• Forum discussion

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Hi all

Most active amateur astronomers who watch the news will have heard that the NSW Government has recently banned the use of green laser pointers, introducing severe penalties for carrying and using them - classing them as "dangerous weapons".

The Victorian Government has already banned green laser pointers over 1mw unless you apply for a permit, costing $180, much more than the price of the green laser pointer itself. It's likely that other states in Australia will follow suit, if they haven't already.

It's understandable that a great number of our community are very upset over this knee-jerk reaction by the State Governments - that our legitimate use of these devices is now illegal thanks to a handful of trouble-makers who shine them at planes as they approach for landing.

There are also those that feel legislation was inevitable, and as long as there is provisions for those of us that have legitimate uses, then they're happy for the new rules and will apply for a permit when one is available (anecdotal evidence shows that some police stations aren't even aware of it yet).

Amateur Astronomers legitimately use green laser pointers, usually ranging from 5mw to 30mw, in the following ways:

• As an education tool with public groups and at star parties. The green laser pointers are used to point out constellations, stars and other celestial objects with ease, and can be seen by a large group of people. This is impossible to do in the dark at night pointing with your finger. 
• Finding celestial objects. When mounted on a telescope using a bracket, or hand-held, the green laser pointed can be used to show where the telescope is pointing and the object being viewed. It can aid in finding celestial objects using star charts.

So what can you do? How can you make a difference? Depending on where you stand (this is an individual decision, after all), here are a couple of suggestions:

• Do nothing. Keep using your green laser pointer safely, ensuring you don't have it on when a plane is coming close by.
• Stop using your green laser pointer.
• Buy the permit when it becomes available.
• Sign an online petition to stop the anti-laser ban.
• Write to your local government member, explaining how you use green laser pointers responsibly and safely and how angry you are at this decision. (sample letter here)

It's too early to say what will happen to the supply and sale of green laser pointers from astronomy retailers - will they get cheaper, more expensive, or will they simply be withdrawn from sale completely? There are a large number of online shops, on ebay and elsewhere, that sell green laser pointers, including the very dangerous high power ones that fools who shine at aircraft are probably using.

Some astronomy retailers are likely to start offering the low-power 1mw version of the green laser pointer, which is still legal to own and use in Victoria - however it's unknown how beneficial these will be for our purposes in the more light-polluted areas or with larger groups of people who need to see the beam from further away.

There are a number of discussion threads on IceInSpace to read or contribute your thoughts, eg: NSW Govt bans laser pointers TODAY.

Let us know what you think - but just remember, while some of us may feel very strongly about it, argue the facts and don't get personal!

Keep following IceInSpace and i'll report more news as it comes to hand.

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Hi all

I'm pleased to announce the countdown launch to the IceInSpace AstroCamp 2008 - IISAC08!

The IceInSpace AstroCamp event is taking place on the 30th October to 2nd November, 2008 - just over 6 months away. It will be our 3rd IISAC event, and after a very successful event in 2007 (with Comet McNaught gracing our skies!), we're planning to make the 2008 event just as great! (We're trying to get Eta Carinae to explode.. we'll see :))

Please check out the IISAC page for some preliminary details - of course it will be continually updated over the next 6 months as more information and detail is confirmed - so check back regularly, and put in your annual leave forms now!

Thanks and I hope to see you there!

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Hi all

I've just finished adding 6 new articles to the Projects & Articles section, all thanks to 2 contributors - Dennis Greeve and Michael Viset. Thanks for taking the time to write the articles for IceInSpace, so that others can benefit from your experience.

You can see the new articles by checking out the Projects & Articles section. Don't forget that anyone can contribute content to IceInSpace - you don't need to be a great writer, it's my job to edit any articles before they are published, so please feel free to write your experiences, your how-to's, your tutorials or guides, your reviews - don't forget to take pictures, and contact me.

Now is a good time to start observing Jupiter - it's reaching quadrature, meaning it's transiting at dawn, almost overhead for us in the Southern Hemisphere. Early morning observing and imaging can be very rewarding - the sky is usually transparent and clear, and when the temperatures stabilise, the seeing can be some of the best ever experienced. So get on out there and look for Jupiter - you can't miss it as the brightest object high in the East after 2-3am.

Check out the IceInSpace Event Calendar for upcoming Jupiter events such as GRS and moon transits. Check out the IceInSpace Solar System forum for images as our planetary astrophotographers capture and post their work.

If you're after an adventure, don't forget about the upcoming Total Solar Eclipse in China, on the 1st August 2008. I know there are a number of eclipse-chasers on IceInSpace, who already travel the world chasing the shadow of the Moon as it falls upon the Earth. From all reports, these are spectacular events - something you'll never forget and definitely worth making an effort to see. Eclipse tours can be the best way to experience this event, as you get to combine the eclipse with a holiday and share it with others after that same experience. SkyWings Travel is offering a tour of China that takes in the Total Solar Eclipse on August 1st - they may be worth checking out if you're keen to let a tour company handle all the details for you.

For more details about the Total Solar Eclipse, check out NASA's eclipse page with all the details you'll need to know.

Thanks for reading.

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Hi all

IceInSpace has just reached another fantastic milestone - we just passed 4000 registered members!

The number itself doesn't really mean much - it's what it shows that's exciting for me. It shows that IceInSpace is still continuing to grow, but at a faster rate than ever before. We reached 3000 members in early September 2007, so we've grown by 1000 members in just over 6 months and is the fastest "1000 member milestone" we've ever had!

That tells me a few things:

1. Amateur Astronomy in the Australia / New Zealand and the Southern Hemisphere is going strong and continues to grow.
2. People have a strong desire to learn more about space, astronomy and the universe. They have questions, they want to discuss and get advice about astronomy, telescopes, observing, astrophotography and they want to share their experiences with like-minded individuals.
3. IceInSpace is doing something right!

I'm very pleased that IceInSpace can be there for the amateur astronomy community - to be the source of information, to be the place to share, and the place to make new friends.

IceInSpace still has the largest and most active online amateur astronomy community in the Southern Hemisphere, but IceInSpace is more than just "a forum".

Our goal has always been to help advance and promote amateur astronomy in our region, and I can confidently say that we are achieving this. But it doesn't stop now. We have some exciting new features planned for the future and will bring you the best amateur astronomy website we can.

It's going to be an exciting and busy time ahead - especially with the International Year of Astronomy in 2009. IceInSpace will be fully involved, so make sure you watch this space for more throughout this year.

Thanks to the IceInSpace community for their support and loyalty as we continue to grow. If you'd like to join IceInSpace so that you can ask questions and take part in discussions on the IceInSpace Forum, please register here. It's free and only takes 30 seconds. 

Thanks!

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Hi all

It's been a while but I've finally had a chance to write another article about planetary imaging - this time, it's about RGB Planetary Imaging with a Monochrome Camera.

It covers the reasons for choosing a monochrome camera, the hardware and software you need for monochrome RGB imaging, and most importantly, how to recombine your monochrome images back into a colour image. There's also a tutorial for LRGB combinations, tips for focusing and more.

My thanks go to Anthony Wesley (bird), arguably Australia's best planetary imager, for his review and contributions to the article.

You can read the article on the IceInSpace Articles page, or by clicking on the link below:

RGB Planetary Imaging with a Monochrome Camera

I hope beginner and intermediate level planetary imagers get something from the article and help you to make that next leap forward to produce better images.

Your feedback, comments and suggestions are always welcome, in this thread on the IceInSpace Forum.

I've also added a new article and a new review today, thanks to the authors for their contributions:

• Easy Action Switch for Green Laser Pointers
• Review of the DMK21AU04

Thanks

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Hi all

A bunch of new reviews and two new articles have been uploaded to IceInSpace today. Head on over to the Equipment Reviews section, and the Projects & Articles section, to check them out.

The new topics include:

• Review of TMB 9" f/9 APO
• Review of 10 foot home dome
• Review of Gemini Mountegra
• Review of SXVF-M25C
• Review of SXVF-H16
• Article comparing Mono and One-Shot Colour CCD cameras
• Article for Beginners on how to find the SCP

My thanks go out to the contributors who submit their work to be included on IceInSpace. It's much appreciated and helps to build up the depth and breadth of knowledge that is shared for all to enjoy and learn from at IceInSpace.

Happy reading!

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Hi all

It's been a while between updates, I hope everyone had a great xmas and new year.

We've got a busy week ahead, with a couple of noteworthy events:

• 2nd February: Venus and Jupiter conjunction. Look East between 4:30am and dawn, and you'll see the two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, in a very close conjunction - reaching 0.6deg separation. This is close enough to fit in the same FOV of a widefield eyepiece in most telescopes!
• 5th February: Venus, Jupiter and crescent Moon conjunction. Again, look to the East before dawn and you'll see a beautiful conjunction between these three celestial bodies. It will make a spectacular widefield landscope photography, so get out there and capture it!
• 7th February: Partial Solar Eclipse. Visible for south-east Australia and New Zealanders. Read the Observing/Imaging Guide for more details and how to observe it safely!

We'd love to see your images and read your observing reports! So please register on the IceInSpace forums and post your results!

I've added 3 new articles and 2 new reviews to IceInSpace with this update - thanks to the authors who contribute content to IceInSpace!

• Polar Alignment using a Wedge in the Southern Hemisphere
• Go South!
• Sharpening Images Using Deconvolution
• Review - Modified 10" GSO Dob
• Review - Refractor and Focal Reducer Trials

In other news, 4 Australians (Anthony Wesley, Zac Pujic, Maurice Valimberti and myself) along with a few other amateur astronomers from around the world, have collaborated with a team led by Augstin Sánchez-Lavega in a paper that was published in the latest Nature Journal. It's been very exciting and quite a thrill. You can read the PDF version of the article here.

I hope the weather is clear for you this week (it's not looking good for me!), so please get out and observe these fairly rare events, and post them on IceInSpace so I can see what I missed! :)

Thanks for reading.

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Hi all

The admins and mods at IceInSpace would like to take this opportunity to wish the amateur astronomy community a happy, healthy and cloud-free Christmas and New Year, and thank you for loyalty and contirbutions to IceInSpace over the past 12 months.

It's been an exciting year with some very memorable events. Who could forget starting the year with the incredible Comet McNaught and IISAC2007! Long-time forum member Terry Lovejoy discovered 2 comets, we had a great Jupiter apparition, some fantastic star parties and the Total Lunar Eclipse in August. IceInSpace launched the IceTrade Classifieds and we passed two significant milestones - over 3000 registered members and our 3rd Birthday! The end of 2007 has brought us a few more comets (including naked eye Comet Holmes and the fainter Comet Leonos) and the Mars opposition is coming up on the 24th December.

2008 is shaping up to be a great year, starting with a Partial Solar Eclipse in February and IISAC2008 in late October. Make sure you keep an eye on IceInSpace to keep yourself informed and have the opportunity to discuss these and other exciting astronomical events in 2008!

I'd like to thank the moderators for their help over the past 12 months, and thanks again to the IceInSpace community for their continuing support.

Have a great time over the Christmas break and I look forward to seeing you all again in 2008!

Mike Salway and Terry Mohan

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A Solar Eclipse occurs when the Moon passes in front of part or all of the Sun, which casts a shadow over a certain area of the Earth. Observers in South-East Australia and New Zealand will be able to view a Partial Solar Eclipse on the 7th February, 2008.

I've written an article which will give you all the information you need to prepare for this rare event - including:

• What is a Solar Eclipse?
• When and Where can I see it?
• Viewing / Observing Guide
• Photography / Imaging Guide
• Upcoming Solar Eclipses

You can read the article by clicking on the link below:

Partial Solar Eclipse, 7th February 2008 - Observing / Imaging Guide

You'll be able to read reports and view images taken by IceInSpace members on the IceInSpace Forum. A discussion thread has been created here, so keep an eye on it and we'd love for you to contribute your thoughts and experiences - please register so you can start posting!

Thanks

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Hi all

There are currently 2 comets gracing our skies that can be easily seen with the unaided eye or with binoculars.

Comet 17P/Holmes has recently exploded and is more than a million times brighter than it was. It's currently very low in the North for Southern Hemisphere observers. The best time to see it is between 1-2am AEDST, and look very low in the North in the Constellation Perseus. At Sydney latitudes it only rises to about 5-6° above the horizon, so find a spot with a good northerly aspect and look for a large diffuse "fuzzy star". Binoculars and small telescopes will give a great view.

Join in the discussions about Comet 17P/Holmes on the IceInSpace Forum.

Comet C/2007 F1 Leonos is a little fainter, and can be tricky to observe low in the West right after sunset. It's showing a tail of a few degrees and can be found just below Antares and M4. Use binoculars to find it and you can then point your telescope at it.

Join in the discussions about Comet C/2007 F1 Leonos on the IceInSpace Forum.

In other news, I've uploaded a number of new articles and 1 new review today - so please check out the Projects & Articles section and the Reviews section to see the latest. If you'd like to submit a review or article to IceInSpace, please contact me.

I still have plenty of IceInSpace Beanies available for sale - put your order in now for a great xmas gift! :)

Thanks

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Hi all

The fabulous Astronomy 2008 Yearbook by Quasar Publishing is now available*.

Order your Astronomy 2008 Yearbook through IceInSpace for only $23 delivered to your door.

It's a must-have yearly almanac with tonnes of info about observing the night sky during 2008. It contains star charts and other ephemeris, dates and details of important astro events during the year and much more.

As well as the usual features, this year's book includes updated coverage of the December 2007 opposition of Mars (including observing its moons), Antartic astronomy and astronomical imaging with a webcam.

The yearbook has been designed for anyone who looks at the night sky whether they are using just their eyes, a pair of binoculars or a telescope. The book has something for everyone from the basic novice up to the advanced amateur astronomer. This includes those with a casual interest who might just want to know, "what is that bright star next to the Moon?"

Go to the Astronomy 2008 Yearbook Order Form to order your copy now.

* Books will be available to ship in early November.

Thanks

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Hi all

The IceInSpace 3rd Birthday Competition has now wrapped up, as the winners were drawn at York Optical's Sydney office on Tuesday afternoon. The lucky winners are:

1. Rodstar
2. Solanum
3. akritc

You can see more, including a photo from the draw on the 3rd Birthday Competition page.

Thanks to the sponsors for donating prizes to the competition. Please support them to show your appreciation as they have supported the IceInSpace community.

In other news:

• 3 new articles and 1 new review have been uploaded. Thanks to the contributors for taking the time to write articles for IceInSpace.
• The Astronomy 2008 Yearbook  from Quasar Publishing will be available for purchase through IceInSpace in the next few weeks. More details will follow shortly.
• With XMAS coming up, maybe you can buy yourself an IceInSpace Beanie as a gift :)

Thanks for reading.

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Hi all

Thanks to everyone who took part in thteste IceInSpace 3rd Birthday Competition Quiz!

Entries are now closed, and the draw will be taking place in the week beginning 8th October at York Optical. News will be posted as it comes to hand!

Thanks!

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Well today is a very special day - IceInSpace celebrates 3 years of service to the amateur astronomy community.

It's been a fantastic 3 years with a lot of highlights and i'm very proud of what we've been able to achieve. Terry and I continue to develop and grow IceInSpace to give more features, more functionality and an overall better experience to the IceInSpace community and our guests.

To celebrate our 3rd birthday, today is the launch of the 3rd Birthday Competition - our chance to give something back to the loyal community of IceInSpace. The quiz is only open to members of IceInSpace who have been registered for 1 month and have made at least 5 posts. Head on over to the info page, and click the link which will take you to the quiz.

Thanks for many memorable times on IceInSpace over the last 3 years. My greatest thanks has to start with my wife, Kate, who supports me with my obsession and hobbies. I couldn't do what I do without her love and support.

Secondly, to Terry - the lead designer and developer of IceInSpace. His TO-DO list is continually growing with both my ideas and his for future functionality and features on IceInSpace. You really will love what's coming up in the future! But Terry is only one man, I have learnt to be patient :)

To the moderators, who give me a chance to step back from the day to day awareness of the many hundreds of new posts each day. I couldn't do it without you. Thanks for continuing to volunteer your time and energy to support and help grow IceInSpace.

And of course to the community - a community website is nothing without an active, loyal and ever-growing community who ask questions, answer questions, offer and receive advice, post their experiences and images.

We have something unique here with IceInSpace. We all should be proud of our friendly, non-judgemental, easy-going and patient nature which keeps people coming back again and again. 

I look forward to another year of milestones and continued good times with friends at IceInSpace.

Good luck in the competition!

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Hi all

The 3rd Birthday Competition is now only 10 days away. You will notice the changes today the left bar, which will have a countdown to the competition and also proudly displays the sponsors of the competition. Without their support, there wouldn't be a competition and there wouldn't be prizes to give away! So thanks once again to the sponsors for donating prizes to the competition.

Coming as somewhat of a surprise, the 3rd birthday competition also happens to be timed well with our 3000 member milestone. Thanks to the incredbile level of activitiy sustained throughout the Total Lunar Eclipse last week, we had a remarkable number of new members registering in the space of a few days.

We passed 3000 registered members which is another fantastic achievement for the IceInSpace community.

So now the competition is to celebrate both milestones - turning 3, and reaching 3000 members.

Remember, only active members of IceInSpace who have been a member for at least 1 month, and have made at least 5 posts, are eligible to take part in the competition.

In the last of the Total Lunar Eclipse news, I've uploaded my images of the event to my Lunar Eclipse Gallery page.

Thanks and good luck in the 3rd birthday competition!

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Hi All

Wow, what a day!

The Total Lunar Eclipse was absolutely spectacular - I hope you had clear skies in your part of the world and managed to experience the event.

To be able to see the Milky Way, stars right next to the moon and meteors zipping around, all during a full moon, was something special and only possible during a Total Lunar Eclipse.

The event was big for IceInSpace! It was out busiest day, ever, and we broke our own previous records in every department. A few stats:

• We had almost 1400 people online at one time last night which brought our server to its knees,
• We've had over 260 new user registrations in the last 2 days (bringing us close to the 3000 member milestone!), 
• The lunar eclipse article has been read over 100,000 times (over 70,000 times yesterday alone), and
• Over 14,000 individual people (unique visitors) stopped by IceInSpace yesterday.

I'd like to thank everyone for coming to visit IceInSpace and I hope we get to see many of you again. The Eclipse was fantastic in the way it got people outside and looking up. With all the media coverage for the event, it generated a lot of interest and hopefully a lot of new interest in Astronomy. I'm proud that IceInSpace has helped play a role in promoting Astronomy in our region and providing people a place to find the information they were looking for.

As you can imagine, the images are starting to flood in on the Solar System Forum. Head on over to take a look at people's efforts. All of my shots are still on the camera but I hope to get to them sometime today. As a preview of the type of amazing shots people took, here's a beautiful image during Totality - captured by Andrew Catsaitis from Mangrove Mountain, NSW with his Canon 20D. You can click on the image for a larger view.

Thanks for reading.

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