What was your most fav celestial event

[Kevnool (Kev)]

Total Eclipse 23rd October 1976 in Melbourne as I stood out of our old house in Broadmeadows I noticed the the seagulls out there went berserk nearing totality.

An eerie feeling.
The next eclipse keep one eye on the birds (Feathered variety).

Cheers Kev.

[Miaplacidus (Brian)]

Nothing beats Comet McNaught for me, coming in first, second, and third. First off, finding it in daylight for one. Then an impromptu public viewing with mounted telescope and binoculars at sunset from the carpark on top of Mount Wellington. And best of all, the clouds dissolving just in time on a moonless night while camping out on pitch-black Bruny Island — a massive brush stroke smeared across a — forgive me, King Crimson aficionados — a sable coat studded with diamonds.

[Pinwheel (Doug)]

Nothing did it more for than HALE BOP..

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Originally Posted by Miaplacidus

Nothing beats Comet McNaught for me, coming in first, second, and third. First off, finding it in daylight for one. Then an impromptu public viewing with mounted telescope and binoculars at sunset from the carpark on top of Mount Wellington. And best of all, the clouds dissolving just in time on a moonless night while camping out on pitch-black Bruny Island — a massive brush stroke smeared across a — forgive me, King Crimson aficionados — a sable coat studded with diamonds.

Mmmm, yes Pete Sinfield could write lyrics. The actual words are (I had to check):

"Night: her sable dome scattered with diamonds,
..."

[Kal (Andrew)]

Comet McNaught at the IIS astrocamp 2007 was undoubtedly my highlight.

[Matt Wastell (Matt)]

Venus transit of the Sun in 2004 - good new is I will see it again in 2012!

[Liz]

Originally Posted by Astroman

I enjoyed Observing Comet Hyakutake ..

I knew there was another great highlight - this was the most spectacular comet I have seen,and nearly on par with the Leonid meteor shower. I saw this at its peak as it trailed half way across the nightsky!!!!

Alas, we north Queenslanders missed Comet McNaught ... but it would have been spectacular, am sure.

[shelltree (Shelley)]

First view of Omega Centauri through my friend's 10", I was absolutely gobsmacked! I had no idea that such a view were possible through your average backyard observing night. From then I was hooked! It was also the first elusive object I found by myself in the sky besides Jupiter and Venus.

Partial Lunar Eclipse last December. Absolutely blew me away! I was so excited about seeing it, I travelled to the coast on a work night by myself just to view and photograph it.

Not Celestial per say but astronomy related. Getting up at 4:30am one Saturday morning to watch the very bright ISS pass overhead. I could barely contain myself from jumping up and down

I'm very new to astronomy so I haven't seen much else. But hope to in the future!

[taminga16 (Greg)]

Comet McNaught is a memory that I will carry for ever, not just for seeing it but for sharing it with people who would not normally 'look up'. My first views of NGC 5128 (Centaurus A) left me amazed and I still am, sitting on a creek bed in Southern NSW talking over a low fire when with a casual glance I spotted M31 (The Andromeda Galaxy) and pondered the fact that it was as far as one could see with the naked eye and that it was all history. Greg.

[Paul Haese]

Oh boy is this tough.

Things I have seen with my own eyes.

1. Cometary impact with Jupiter 1994, awesome site in my then 8" telescope. Seeing the impacts rotate into view live was incredible and as it turned the seeing was very good that night.

2. Ceduna eclipse, our first total but the elevation made the view.

3. Viewing SN1987A through my 8".

4. Comet West - my first ever comet viewing that I can remember.

5. Comet McNaught - simply a beautiful experience out at Myponga Dam.

6. Russian Rocket that Doug captured. I just stood there and watched it re-enter. Huge thick orange veins of burning debris. Better than skylab re-entering

7. First total lunar eclipse (cannot remember the date but I was in my teens). I have seen quite few of them since then and all are lovely.

8. Saturn for the first time. I still think wow on great nights of seeing.

9. Jupiter at the first planetary imaging camp in 2006. Detail all the way to the poles (not faint but well defined) in 18" SDM with a 6mm radian and 5x power mate. Huge scale and did not break down at all. Better than looking at an image. I have not seen a better view since in any telescope.

10. China eclipse awe inspiring duration. Amazing colour of the sky because of the clouds and the euphoria of spending it with astronomers.

Not all in order or preference, just I cannot really pick. There are a few more that I cannot rightly think of right now.

[vespine]

Chalk another Comet McNaught. Especially going back to Elwood beach a few nights and pointing it out to all the people in the park and joggers who had no idea such an amazing sight was right in the sky if they just looked up a little.

[yusufcam (Colin)]

first time looking thru binoculars at the nightsky, knowing nothing, and was looking straight at M42 (the beginning)

seeing a ripple travel around the edge of the sun (from about 11:30 to 9:00) (now have a PST and a dedicated a solar refractor)

stretching out and looking up just as an brilliant iridium flare went off (most things that have stuck with me have been serendipitous)

[stattonb (Statton)]

good to here what members have seen,i like that Comet McNaugh is in most peoples list

[firstlight (Tony)]

Tough one, very hard to rate one over the other, but this is probably how I would look at it. These are the key events I have witnessed.

Chronological:

1. Comet Ikea/Seki 1965
2. SN 1987a
3. Shoemaker/Levy 9 1994
4. Comet Hyakutake 1996
5. Comet Hale/Bopp 1997
6. Leonids, Miles 2001
7. Total Solar Eclipse Ceduna 2002
8. Venus Transit, Exmouth 2004
9. The Great Comet 2007 (McNaught)
10. Total Lunar Eclipse August 2007
11. The Queensland Astrofest

Top Ten:

1. The Queensland Astrofest (Come on! It happens EVERY year )
2. Comet Ikea/Seki
3. Total Solar Eclipse Ceduna 2002, Venus Transit 2004
4. Leonids 2001
5. The Great Comet 2007
6. Shoemaker/Levy 9
7. SN 1987a
8. Comet Hyakutake
9. Hale/Bopp
10. Total Lunar Eclipse August 2007

Cheers
Tony

[firstlight (Tony)]

Hmmm,

Could go on forever:
Venus occultation 1994/5?
Various Mercury Transits
Mars 2003
Jupiter grazing occultation 2005

Probably one of the memorable things said to me that throws my astronomy interest into stark relief:

1995 Queensland Astrofest and sitting around chatting with our Honoured Guest John Dobson and the confversation gat around to why we liked the hobby and I said something about enjoying looking up etc, and he says" No, no. You've got it all wrong we are stuck to the skin of this planet and we have the wrong mindset. We don't look up at the sky, we look OUT!"

Lying on a banana lounge gazing at the sky at that moment, suddenly the Universe tilted 90 degrees and I felt like I was clinging to the side of a cliff staring out into a great abyss. It was truly mind-blowing. I try and recapture that feeling at least once every camp.

Actually I would put this conversation/event at the top of my list.

[stattonb (Statton)]

alot of events listed and good to see that everyone has somthing to include

[Alchemy (Clive)]

Memorable things are the first view of Saturn to see it's rings, the first view of M42 seeing a "star" turn into a hazy nebula ( 60mm refractor don't show much) that was back in my teens
Celestial Events would be the total solar eclipse that went through gippsland as a early teenager...... Just wish I knew then what I know now.
mcnaught, first really naked eye visible comet.

Someone else said watching the sunrise, I've seen some beautiful ones on a mountain range overlooking the outback, although we see it often, in the right location it's my number 1.