Mt Canopus Observatory visit

When : Friday 09 August at 6.30pm
Limited to 25 people… THE EVENT IS NOW FULLY BOOKED

In early August we’ll have dark moon free nights so we’ll have the opportunity to see some fainter objects.

In the southern sky there are dozens of interesting nebulae and clusters including the Southern Pleiades and Jewell Box open clusters, Omega Centauri and 47Tucanae globular clusters.  Nebulae include the Eta Carina, Running Chicken and Tarantula nebulae.

Individual stars such as Rigil Kentaurus and Alpha Crucis are actually gravitationally bound double stars which can easily be resolved in the telescope.

If we have a very clear night we may be able to get a glimpse of the ‘Centaurus A’ galaxy about 85,000 light years away.

Moving further north along the Milky Way we will be able to see more globular and open clusters.  Also Antares – a red supergiant star at the heart of the scorpion.

Heading further north, high in the sky we will be able to see the planet Saturn with its spectacular ring system and several of its moons.