South Pacific Star Party - Western NSW, May 22th-25th

[tlgerdes (Trevor)]

Shameless plug for registrations to promote one of the worlds premier star parties. Please see http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...d.php?t=118469 for more specific information.

"Among the eucalyptus woodlands in New South Wales, Australia, there is 100 acres of land [Wiruna] designated for stargazing. Owned by a local astronomy society [the ASNSW], the land has both observation facilities and basic accommodations, though most prefer to camp. Each year, the society hosts a "South Pacific Star Party" during which 200 to 400 people convene for a weekend of star watching beneath one of the world's darkest skies." --Forbes.com, 18 June 2008.

[tlgerdes (Trevor)]

Don't forget, there are only 2 days left before the registration window closes on the 8th of May.

[The Mekon (John Briggs)]

The SPSP is a great location for peering into the northern skies. The observing field is at an elevation of over 1000m (so bring warm clothing) and has a clear view of the entire northern horizon, unpolluted by major city light glows. I have used this location to plunder northern objects in the past and will do so again this year. Want to see M51 and its companion at almost 10 degrees above the horizon, or NGC4565 like it appears in a textbook photograph? SPSP at Wiruna is the place to be.

[tlgerdes (Trevor)]

Originally Posted by Allan_L

Hi Trevor,
Sorry if this is dealt with elsewhere, I couldn't find anything on it.

What was behind the decision for "one of the worlds premier star parties" being held at Last Quarter moon?
A full week before New Moon on the 29th May?

Sorry Alan, don't know. Moon doesn't rise until between 1 and 3am across the 3 nights. Maybe they think not everyone just wants completely dark skies .

Most of the visual observers tend to pack up around the 2am timeframe, it will be more of an annoyance for the imagers that let things run unattended through till sun up.

[tlgerdes (Trevor)]

For those who haven't registered, but still want to go, on-site registration is available during the event.

Send me a PM with your email and I'll will send you the registration kit pdf with all the site and location information.