10th October 1846 Triton, the largest natural satellite of Neptune, is discovered by English astronomer William Lassell. The image of Triton below is courtesy of NASA/JPL/USGS. The discovery comes only seventeen days after the discovery of the planet itself. With a diameter of 2,710 kilometres it is the seventh-largest moon in the Solar System and is one of the few moons in the Solar System known to be geologically active, as a consequence, its surface is relatively yo

Wednesday 6th October 2021 6:30pm ​ Aboriginal Australians have been looking at the night sky for thousands of years. During this time, they have been able to build up a complex knowledge of the stars and their movements. This connection with the night sky represents some of the earliest ponderings about the cosmos and was an effort to explain natural phenomena. Moreover, the stars were used for navigation, education, as a seasonal guide to the availability of foods,

Following the spectacular total lunar eclipse of 26 May 2021 Sydney-siders are to be treated to a partial lunar eclipse. DATE:19 November 2021. TIME: The Moon will rise eclipsed (so from Sydney after 7:34pm). This will be at or near maximum eclipse depending on your location. The shadow will leave the Moon at 9:47pm. WHAT WILL I SEE?: According to Dr Nick Lomb's 2021 Australasian Skyguide the Earth's shadow will cover 98% of the Moon. The photograph below is of the Moon clos

Monday 1st November 2021 6:30 to 8pm ​ Presented by Mike Frost, Historical Section Director, British Astronomical Association The British Astronomical Association was founded in 1890. Right from the start, the membership included talented lady astronomers. In part this was because the Royal Astronomical Society did not admit women at this time. This talk tells the stories of many of the lady pioneers of the BAA. Agnes Clerke, astronomical historian; Annie Maunder, solar

There are two equinoxes every year. The March equinox also known as the autumnal equinox, and the September equinox or the spring equinox, sometimes called the vernal equinox. Image above courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech. The equinoxes are the only time when both the southern and northern hemispheres experience approximately the same amount of daytime and nighttime. At the time of an equinox the Sun rises due east and sets due west. These are the only two days of the year when this

By Monty Leventhal OAM IN SUMMARY Summing up, sunspot activity for solar cycle 25 has remained very low with Prominences & Filaments remaining quite faint. Flares on my watch have been virtually non existence though some observers in the northern hemisphere saw a few M class Flares, I only saw one. The most Sunspots seen on one day was on the 28th with 3 groups which included 2 single spots, one with Penumbra and one without. The third group had 18 spots. For the month of Aug