Chris Malikoff 1962-2025
Members Event Diary
| DATE | EVENT | DETAILS | PUBLIC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 12th July | Astro Imaging Group At Narellan library | Meeting 1 pm to 3 pm | No |
| Sat 19th July | Stargard At The Oaks | Members Observing Evening Sunset 5.07 pm | No |
| Mon 21st July | Macarthur Astronomy Forum at WSU Location Map. | Guest Speaker: Prof Roberto Soria (INAF) 7.15pm for 7.30 pm start | YES |
| Fri 25th July | The Forest Weekend at Belanglo | Members Observing Night 1 Sunset 5.11 pm | No |
| Sat 26th July | The Forest Weekend at Belanglo | Members Observing Night 2 Sunset 5.12 pm | No |
| Sat 26th July | Stargard At The Oaks | Members Observing Evening Sunset 5.12 pm | No |
Monday 21st July, 7.30 pm
International Guest Speaker: Prof Roberto Soria (INAF)
Topic tba
Macarthur Astronomy Forum
The Forum meets on the third Monday of the month (Jan-Nov); and on the First Monday in December, at this location in:
Lecture Theatre 6, Building 21, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown.
Members: please wear your membership card when attending the Forum in person at WSU and please fully identify who you are when attending online via Zoom.
We want to share our passion with the local community, so Macarthur Astronomy Forum is open to the public, FREE. Optional gold coin donations from non-members are appreciated.
We recommend attending the Forum 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 watch and participate remotely using Zoom.
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 UPDATED
The Oaks Weather-cam: South facing
The Oaks Weather-cam: North facing
General Notices
Beginners
We understand the needs of beginners and we are here to help you get started. We run workshops two or three times a year, depending on demand.
Sometimes we will dedicate a Macarthur Astronomy Forum to basic amateur astronomy topics.
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 2025-26
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.
Sydney Solar Eclipse
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.
