Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Australian Sky & Telescope

    Astronomy for the people

    Dec 01, 2021 6 minutes
    by Robert Brangwin and David Edgerly

    ON JULY 13, 2021, the Port Macquarie Astronomical Association (PMAA) realised a long-held dream when funding of $4.86m for its proposed new Astronomical Science Centre was jointly announced by state and federal government members, Leslie Williams (Member for Port Macquarie) and Pat Conaghan (Member for Cowper).

    The PMAA had been working on this project for many years. The current observatory is itself a landmark in Port Macquarie, located in Rotary Park adjacent to Town Beach. Anyone living in or visiting the area pass it as they drive into the town centre. The new Centre will be even more prominent.

    History under east coast stars

    Port Macquarie has a long history in astronomy. Just how long depends on how far back you wish to look. If you consider that the Port Macquarie Observatory is built upon traditional Birpai land, then there is astronomical and environmental knowledge going back tens of thousands of years.

    If you consider western astronomy, then

    You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

    More from Australian Sky & Telescope

    Australian Sky & Telescope3 min read
    Long Time Coming
    EXPLORING THE SOLAR SYSTEM is a long game, with travel times measured in years. And the time from when we first propose a mission to when our spacecraft sits on the launch pad, ready to leave Earth or die trying, is often much longer still. In a way,
    Australian Sky & Telescope2 min read
    Star Caught Swallowing A Planet
    The dinner bell has struck for a star in the constellation Aquila, the Eagle. Reporting in the May 4 issue of Nature, Kishalay De (MIT) and a team of astronomers watched the star belch and brighten in a way that suggests it swallowed a closely orbiti
    Australian Sky & Telescope3 min read
    The Epicycle And The Equant
    For many thousands of years, watchers of the night skies have noted points of light that look like stars and do not behave as other stars do. They shift their positions relative to the ‘fixed stars,’ which remain in the recognisable patterns we call

    Related Books & Audiobooks