Macarthur Astronomy Forum
New Location for Forum
For 2025 and beyond, the monthly Forum will meet in a new permanent location at:
Lecture Theatre 6, School of Science, Building 21,
William Downes Avenue, Western Sydney University (Campbelltown Campus).
We want to share our passion with the local community, so Macarthur Astronomy Forum is open to the public, FREE. Gold coin donations from non-members are appreciated.
Prof Richard de Grijs (Macquarie Uni)
Guest Speaker Monday 17th February
The Sound of Silence
Abstract tba.
We recommend attending in person, which gives you the opportunity to interact with other members (and the guest speaker) before and after the meeting. However, MAS members who are unable to get to WSU can still participate remotely using Zoom.
Members Event Diary
| DATE | EVENT | DETAILS | PUBLIC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 25th Jan | Stargard At The Oaks | Members Observing Evening Sunset 8.07 pm | No |
| Fri 31st Jan | The Forest At Belanglo | New Moon Weekend – Night 1 Sunset 8.03 pm | No |
| Sat 1st Feb | The Forest At Belanglo | New Moon Weekend – Night 2 Sunset 8.02 pm | No |
| Sat 1st Feb | Stargard At The Oaks | Members Observing Evening Sunset 8.02 pm | No |
| Mon 17th Feb | Macarthur Astronomy Forum at WSU. Location Map. | Guest Speaker: Prof Richard de Grijs (Macq Uni). 7.15 pm for a 7.30 pm start | YES |
| Sat 22nd Feb | Stargard At The Oaks | Members Observing Evening Sunset 7.41 pm | No |
| Sat 1st Mar | Wooglemai At Oakdale | Members Observing Night Sunset 7.33 pm | No |
| Sat 1st Mar | Stargard At The Oaks | Members Observing Evening Sunset 7.33 pm | No |
| Mon 3rd Mar | Macarthur Astronomy Forum at WSU. Location Map. | Guest Speaker: Prof Fred Watson 7.15 pm for a 7.30 pm start | No |
| Mon 17th Mar | Macarthur Astronomy Forum at WSU. Location Map. | Guest Speaker: Dr Theresa Fruth (USYD) 7.15 pm for a 7.30 pm start | YES |
| Fri 28th Mar | The Forest At Belanglo | New Moon Weekend – Night 1 of 2 Sunset 6.57 pm | No |
| Sat 29th Mar | The Forest At Belanglo | New Moon Weekend – Night 2 of 2 Sunset 6.55 pm | No |
| Sat 29th Mar | Stargard At The Oaks | Members Observing Evening Sunset 6.55 pm | No |
Our Observing Sites
Members Only
The Forest Cabin in Belanglo Forest has been an MAS dark sky observatory for a quarter of a century. We are now scheduling regular weekenders again. See the Forest page for site details.
Wooglemai is a prime dark sky observing site, conveniently located near Oakdale. With clubhouse amenities, sleeping accommodation and unlimited overnight viewing hours, the experience is excellent value for money. See our Wooglemai page for site details.
Stargard is our main general purpose observing field at The Oaks. Whilst it cannot boast the facilities that the Forest Cabin and Wooglemai do, it provides convenient evening sessions much closer to home, free of charge to members. See our Stargard page for site details.
Coming? We need to know who is planning to attend our observing sessions. Members are requested to contact John Rombi at: president@macastro.org.au to reserve a place before travelling to an observing session. For essential information about our observing session protocols, please read our Field Night page.
🌦️ Weather Check
Article: Weather Forecasting for Amateur Astronomers
The Oaks Weather-cam: South facing
The Oaks Weather-cam: North facing
General Notices
Beginners
We understand the needs of beginners and are anxious to help you get started. We run workshops for beginners two or three times a year, depending on demand.
Sometimes we will dedicate a Macarthur Astronomy Forum to basic amateur astronomy topics. (We scheduled two of these in 2024).
Questions can be asked of other members through the MAS Facebook page, the MAS Private Messaging System or by e-mail to contact@macastro.org.au.
Beginners can attend our field nights and ask questions directly to other members.
YouTube is a very useful learning tool. Whichever part of astronomy you wish to learn, someone has made a YouTube video about it!
Committee Members 2024-25
President: John Rombi
Vice President: Noel Sharpe
Secretary: Roger Powell
Treasurer: Suzanne Adijans
Membership Officer: Frank Alvaro
Committee Member: Greg Bradford
Committee Member: Phil Kidd
Observing
Members intending to attend our observing nights must read our Field Night page and Stargard , Forest or Wooglemai pages.
Sessions are normally scheduled for Saturdays, because we recognise the needs of members who may have weekday jobs to go to.
Before travelling, members should check this page and your e-mail in box.
Laser Pointers
It is a legal requirement here in NSW to register laser pointer ownership with the Police Firearms Registry. However, as MAS members, you are exempted from this obligation if the laser pointer is only used for astronomy.
The Society keeps a register of members who are laser pointer owners and requires you to formally notify the Membership Officer if you have purchased a laser pointer.
MAS Private Messages
Due to privacy laws, MAS is prohibited from releasing members e-mail addresses. The intention of the PM system is to permit an individual member to contact another without initially knowing their e-mail address. You can find the PM System in the Users menu above, after you have logged on.
Membership
Please contact Frank Alvaro (Membership Officer) for all new membership enquiries: membership@macastro.org.au or go to our new membership page.
E-mail is our primary means of direct communication with all our members, so don’t forget to tell us if your e-mail address changes: membership@macastro.org.au.
Member’s Postal Address.
Membership cards are posted annually to the last postal address which you have provided to us, so please contact us with your new details at membership@macastro.org.au.
MAS Postal Address
We no longer maintain a PO Box address. After many years the cost and time did not justify a service that was so rarely used.
If you or a family member are showing any symptoms of covid, influenza or the common cold etc. please do not attend any of our events.
