Public Observing Sessions - Macquarie Observatory

These sessions will be held on Friday and Saturday nights (weather permitting) throughout the year. Exact start times for each session throughout the year depend on the local sunset time.

Marvel at the wonders of the Universe!

The Association for Astronomy (within the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering) invites you to observe the cosmos with your own eyes at the Macquarie University Astronomical Observatory. View planets, moons, binary stars, star clusters, nebulae and bright galaxies through our newly upgraded 20" and 24" professional in-dome telescopes, hear about the research we are conducting with them and other of the telescopes we have installed in site, or use some of our mobile small telescopes. You will be guided by our trained astronomy staff, so please come prepared with any astronomy questions you may have!

All are welcome, but minumum sales are required for a session to proceed, and capacity is limited to 40 people so we recommend booking early.

Directions

The Macquarie University Observatory is located on-campus at 5 Gymnasium Rd, Macquarie Park NSW 2113. This is just across from the Sport & Aquatic Centre (click here for a map). The observatory can be accessed by Gymnasium Rd, off the corner of Culloden and Waterloo Rd. Turn onto Gymnasium Rd at the roundabout, then take the first left into the North 3 Carpark. Parking for event visitors is available from 6pm without a ticket. The observatory is located at the far northeast end of the carpark.

For any questions or concerns, please email at least 24 hours before your event at [email protected].

Refund Policy

Attending the observatory is weather dependent: unfortunately we cannot see the stars if it is cloudy or raining. A decision will be made by 5pm on the day as to whether the observing session will go ahead or be cancelled. In either case, an announcement will be posted to our Facebook page. Full refunds are issued in cases of bad weather, or tickets can be transferred to a future session. If your observing session has been cancelled due to poor weather you will receive an email notification confirming that your 100% refund has been issued. Please allow up to five (5) business days for your refund to be transferred back into your account.

Please note that if we have less than 10 people booked in for any one session, the session will be cancelled and ticket holders will be issued with a 100% refund. If this is the case, ticket holders will be contacted via email by 5pm on the day of the event.

Film and Video Disclaimer: please note that photographs and footage may be taken throughout this session. These will be used by the University for marketing and publicity in our publications, on our website and in social media or in any third party publication. Please contact the session Guide at the commencement of the session if you have any concerns or if you wish to be exempted from this activity.

Image Credits: Jake Pember (MQ)

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Host or Publisher Association for Astronomy - Macquarie University