Mt Stromlo Observatory

Yesterday we had a lovely visit by Pamela Melroy. She is a retired US Air Force Pilot, NASA Astronaut, and also NASA Shuttle Commander. We had a great discussion about the future of space in Australia!

September availability for private tours and stargazing sessions: Saturday 1 September Friday 7 September Saturday 8 September Saturday 15 September... Friday 21 September Saturday 22 September Friday 28 September Saturday 29 September
Please see below for more details.
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Are you an undergrad studying physics, astronomy, or engineering? If so, you can come work with us this summer! Applications are due 31 August.

Stay tuned for our public talks! We have 4 fantastic talks arranged for tonight!

If you are booked in for tonight's Public Astronomy Night, we expect the clouds to thin so we will do our best with stargazing. If you are not, all our talks will be streamed via Facebook Live. The talk schedule is as follows:
6:30pm - Abby Hodges - The Alien Next Door*** kid-friendly!
7:05pm - Eloise Birchall - Recipe for a Solar System
... 7:50pm - Prof Trevor Ireland - Hayabusa2 at Ryugu
8:30pm - Keith Baker - Astronomical Collaboration: Engineering at Mt Stromlo
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Just a reminder that Jonathan Fraine from NASA's Space Telescope Science Institute will be joining us for a special National Science Week talk tomorrow. There are still some tickets left!

We have been carrying out a variety of experiments for over 100 years. One of the older and more hidden facilities is the Ionospheric Prediction Service Hut. Working with the Australian Government's Space Weather Services, a branch of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, this station is on the northern slope of Mt Stromlo and provides a valuable service for Australia. Read all about it!

And there is even more National Science Week goodness! On Friday at 12:30pm, Art and science meet at Craft ACT. Renowned glass-maker and artist Elizabeth Kelly will explain her latest work with the collaboration of Mt Stromlo Astronomer Dr Ralph Sutherland.

This week is National Science Week and we have lots of events going on!
- Today (Monday), A/Prof Charley Lineweaver will be doing a Q&A after the screening of the Living Universe. It starts at 6:30pm at Capitol Cinemas in Manuka https://www.eventcinemas.com.au/…/Livin g-Universe---Q-And-A…
- Tomorrow (Tuesday) at 6pm at the NFSA, Dr Brad Tucker will join ABC Canberra's Laura Tchilinguirian for a screening of Back to the Future followed by a live discussion as part of their se...gment - #ScifivsReality https://www.nfsa.gov.au/…/abc-canberra- drive-presents-back-…
- On Friday, we will have another Public Astronomy Night. https://mtstromlopublicnight.eventbrite.c om.au/
- Then on Saturday, 18 August at 1pm at the Mt Stromlo Visitor Centre, Dr Jonathan Fraine from the Space Telescope Science Institute will be talking about NASA's new James Webb Space Telescope and what it will tell us about exoplanets https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/measuring -the-atmospheres-o…
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If you saw a plume / cloud / funny thing in the sky this evening - this was the third stage rocket of the launch of NASA’s Parker Solar Probe that was launched from Florida. A cool thing to see!

Solar observing, a meteorite older than Earth, props demonstrating the gravity of different planets and so many more hands-on activities at today’s Science in ACTion! 🌌🌍🇦🇺🧐Stay tuned with Mt. Stromlo Observatory —— National Science Week has just started!🤩🤩🤩👽👽👽 * Follow us on Instagram @mtstromloobservatory to keep updated with what’s going on during National Science Week!

A fantastic sketch of our 74-inch dome by Weisee Chew @sketch_memoir ! 😍😍 * Come up to our visitor centre on the weekend to enjoy the beauty of Canberra's natural views while having a nice coffee! 😋🌿☀️🏞☕️ * Opening hours: Friday-Sunday 10am-3pm🔭🔭😁😁... * Follow us on Instagram @mtstromloobservatory to find out more stories of us!
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#FlashBackFriday Fancy some fresh air? 🌿🌿The Mount Stromlo Heritage Trail takes around 30 minutes to complete and features 12 stops detailing the history and scientific achievements of the observatory over the last century. 🔭🔭The trail is perfect for taking in some spectacular views over Canberra and the Brindabella Ranges – you might even get up close to some furry native animals!😺😺 * The Heritage Trail is open daily 8am-6pm. More info on our website. * Stay tuned over the c...oming weeks as we highlight different parts of the Mount Stromlo Heritage Trail! * Follow us on Instagram @mtstromloobservatory for more interesting history of the Observatory!
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Adam Rains is a PhD student at the ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics working on the upcoming FunnelWeb Survey. The Survey will investigate the spectra of every single star in the Southern Hemisphere.✨✨✨
There is a lot to learn from such spectra, as they can reveal characteristics of the stars such as chemical composition, temperature, and even the pressure of their atmosphere. Gaining a better understanding of stars in this way is an important step in order to understand any planets that might orbit them, as we can only understand these planetary systems if we know about their star.🌠🌠🌠 * Follow us on Instagram @mtstromloobservatory and watch Adam’s whole story in our IGTV!

If you are interested in Astronomy and have wanted to learn more, we are offering a 6 week course starting 12 September. Taught by Mt Stromlo astronomer Dr Brad Tucker, it is a great way to learn a bit more about Astronomy and no maths or physics are required. It will also be available online so even if you can not make it to Canberra, you can still participate!

Barely surviving winter? ❄️☃️ Don’t worry, spring’s 🌞🌱 just around the corner so to get you in the mood here’s a photo of our 74-inch dome under the Milky Way taken during a beautiful spring evening. 🌌🌠If you notice the faint, triangular light elongating from the horizon, that’s the Zodiacal light produced by sunlight reflecting off dust particles in the Solar System. Spring is the best season to observe this phenomenon during the evening！📸📸🔭🔭
* Many thanks to Dilyar Barat Im...ages for sharing this spectacular photo. Dilyar is a PhD student at Mt Stromlo, as well as an excellent amateur astrophotographer! * Follow us on Instagram @mtstromloobservatory for more fantastic photos of the site!✨✨
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We will be running a daytime tour next Sunday the 12th of August. There are still tickets left if you’d like to come along and see places normally not accessible to the public! To book, please click the link below (bookings are essential).

Mount Stromlo Observatory is now recognised as a site of International Engineering Significance by Engineers Australia! 🇦🇺🇦🇺 Thank you to the Hon. Trish White, President of Engineers Australia, and ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt AC for joining us in celebration!🎉🎉 * This international recognition marks the significant engineering achievements of the Observatory since it was established as the Commonwealth Solar Observatory in 1924. The tradition of world-class en...gineering continues through the Advanced Instrumentation and Technology Centre, where many exciting space instrumentation projects are currently being worked on!📡📡 * Congratulations to all the engineers, astronomers, technicians, and countless others who have worked over the past century to make the Observatory what it is today!👏🏻👏🏻🔭🔭 * Follow our Instagram @mtstromloobservatory for more beautiful moments of the ceremony!💫💫💫💫
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Shame everthing was closed..still a nice spot. It was raining.cloudy. information centre closed for renovations.

Shame everthing was closed..still a nice spot. It was raining.cloudy. information centre closed for renovations.