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Jul 29, 20221 min read
James Webb Telescope
Our first live event! (for a long time!) 16 August - 6pm Club Belrose About this event Join Fred Watson as he explains the James Webb...
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Jul 5, 20222 min read
Siding Spring Observatory Tours - the next chapter
Hundreds of businesses struggle to find employees. Regional areas in NSW and QLD worst-hit Listening to ABC News radio as I worked today,...
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Apr 14, 20223 min read
Who Needs Brown Signs
For the Virtual Solar System Drive? For years, the first thing that people reported back to me about the Virtual Solar System was “We...
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Apr 2, 20224 min read
Dead-Lock Holiday
Ethical travel in the times of Covid. On the very last night of a 10-day tour around Tasmania, Fred tested positive. A bold red line was...
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Feb 25, 20221 min read
Super-sized STEM for students!
SIDING SPRING IS OPEN FOR STUDENTS OF ALL AGES Astronomy, like almost no other science, has the potential to significantly improve public...
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Feb 19, 20221 min read
Where would Dark Sky Traveller travel
.... if there were no dark skies? Federal Government efforts to mitigate the impacts of light pollution on nocturnal wildlife are being...
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Jan 3, 20221 min read
Skyscraper-sized asteroid discovered at Siding Spring set to zoom past Earth
The large body was discovered on Aug. 9, 1994 – hence its designation – by Robert McNaught at the Siding Spring Observatory in Australia,...
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Dec 2, 20211 min read
Australia's Largest Telescope - Australia's new Attraction
In 1974 Siding Spring Observatory, perched on top of Mount Worrut in the Warrumbungle Ranges, became Australia's National Optical...
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Nov 12, 20211 min read
2021 - Allison-Levick Lecture
Hosted by Fred Watson Wednesday 24 November 2021, 6:30pm – 8:00pm AEDT Online Join Macquarie University and Astralis online at the...
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Oct 7, 20211 min read
Escorted Tour - 'Territory'
Fancy a few nights stargazing in Arnhem Land? .... Now's your chance. We're delighted to announce a 10 day tour of some of the most...
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Sep 28, 20212 min read
Dark Sky Motives
My love for the nighttime environment is well documented. For the past 6 years I have become increasingly driven to leave this natural...
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Sep 23, 20211 min read
Proposed Sydney Urban Night Sky Place may need to find a new home
Do you like looking at the night sky? For over two years the Northern Beaches Council has been investigating the opportunity to designate...
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Sep 20, 20211 min read
Siding Spring Observatory Readies itself to Reopen
Are you burning to get out of Sydney? Looking for an adventure? We're here and waiting for you! Once NSW opens the Road to Recovery, and...
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Jul 7, 20211 min read
Joe Hockey Once Said about Siding Spring Observatory
"Everyone should visit at least once in their life!" Now that Siding Spring is Open to Tourism, what are our guests saying!? Dark Sky...
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Feb 16, 20211 min read
Virtual Solar System Drive
Since I started visiting Coonabarabran, I've been aware of the Virtual Solar System Drive. A, to scale model of the real Solar System,...
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Aug 1, 20192 min read
The South American Chilean Eclipse
Ask an astronomer what they saw after experiencing a total solar eclipse, and you’ll get words like “diamond ring”, “Bailey’s Beads” and...
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Jul 8, 20192 min read
Mind - The Gap
Mindless travel offends me deeply . When guides march ahead with a sign to follow; it frustrates me no end when they dictate what time...
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Jul 8, 20192 min read
Water, Water everywhere - 20 years in the making
20 years ago, almost to the day, I visited Niagara Falls. In doing so, I was fulfilling one of my goals from when I joined the ‘red and...
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Jun 24, 20191 min read
Last Five - Commending those who are making a difference
“72% of the birds in this park are rescued from being trafficked.” The information sign in Spanish, Portuguese and English stands for all...
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Jun 7, 20194 min read
5 Things to consider when you’re Aurora Chasing
Whilst the silent dancing clouds of a aurora are spectacular at night, the northern lights are not the only thing you should keep your eyes
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