Read the May 2012 Newsletter. It is now available to download as a PDF from our Newsletters section on the website.

^{_{BDAS Sidewalk Astronomy held outside the Discovery Centre on Friday 27/04/2012 saw the public and members viewing the night sky through Brien Blackshaw's 10" Newtonian reflector telescope mounted on a Dobsonian mount.  Pictured is BDAS's youngest member hving a look at some of the astronomical objects that were available in the sky to be seen.  Thanks guys n' gals, it sounded like a great evening.}}

Lead up to BDAS Star Hunt night, award winning documentary ‘The City Dark' Movie at Discovery.

The City Dark is a feature documentary about light pollution and the disappearing night sky. It premiered in competition at the 2011 South by Southwest Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize for Best Score/Music. Cheney unravels the myriad implications of a globe glittering with lights-including increased breast cancer rates from exposure to light at night, and a generation of kids without a glimpse of the universe above. Featuring stunning astrophotography and a cast of eclectic scientists, philosophers, historians, and lighting designers, The City Dark is the definitive story of light pollution and the disappearing stars.

Usefull links:
Discovery information: Movie Night http://tinyurl.com/82otvv5 & Start Hunt http://tinyurl.com/7uyog3h

Globe at Night website: http://www.globeatnight.org/

Trevor Hand gave a fantastic talk with lots of images up on our huge video screen. The talk was video taped and you can see it here if you missed it live.

The Free Range Science website has been updated with the images and videos from the SKA event at Discovery and the Steven’s school visits.

Click here, go to: http://freerangescience.org.au/event/ska-bendigo/

What a great visit to Bendigo by Professor Steven Tingay...

Full credit goes to Free Range Science for this production.

 Part 1

Free Range Science presents SKA - the world's biggest telescope - Part 1: Introduction & Background from RiAus on Vimeo.

Part 2

Free Range Science presents SKA - the world's biggest telescope - Part 2: SKA science from RiAus on Vimeo.

Part 3

Free Range Science presents SKA - the world's biggest telescope - Part 3: SKA logistics from RiAus on Vimeo.

Wow, National Science Week is almost here... There is so much to do in Bendigo with Discovery Centre putting on an action packed week of events not to be missed.

Links to useful info:

Discovery Science and Technology Centre Bendigo

National Science Week Website

Download the Flyer, click here

Astronomy : BDAS is also going to be putting on some excellant viewing at our Star Night. Come and join the astronomy experts and take a look through a
telescope at some of the amazing celestial objects that adorn the
night sky.

Friday 19th August from 6:00pm (weather permitting)

Click here for more information about the Star Night event

Check back on the calendar for weather updates.

In September 2010 BDAS applied for a general grant of $3,000 from the City of Greater Bendigo Community Grants program to enable it to install a telescope storage facility at Raywood.

Storage for BDAS was badly needed at Raywood to house the large telescopes used during dark sky observations. With 16” mirrors and 3 metre focal lengths these scopes are hardly portable. Storage on site was deemed essential.

BDAS wishes to acknowledge and sincerely thank the Bendigo Gliding Club and the Council ofthe City of Greater Bendigo for their considerable part in making this happen.

Above: Keith Evans, the President of the Bendigo Gliding Club, and Peter Mead, the President of Bendigo District Astronomical Society stand by while Councillor Bruce Phillips of Northern Plains Ward cuts the ribbon.

Free Range Science presents: SKA- the biggest radio telescope in the world! Steven Tingay has been heavily involved in the world’s biggest radio telescope project – the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). Bookings can be made at the website: www.skabendigo.eventbrite.com
 

Click here for more details about the event

Two new amazing Astronomy books by John Wilkinson:
Book 1. Probing the New Solar System
Book 2: The Moon in Close-up