BASADMIN

March Telescope Targets for Beginners

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BAS has lots of members taking their first steps in astronomy and telescope mastery. Finding, and observing, the Moon is pretty easy, however just about every other object, other than the brighter planets, can be a challenge to bring into view in a telescope eyepiece. As a result, we have produced a short list of targets appropriate for beginners. The list includes objects visible from within the bubble of city light pollution, plus other objects that require a trip to a rural dark sky. The list also includes maps to help you find the objects and links to sources of additional information.

Click HERE for the PDF document list.

BAS Twitter/X Account

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BAS has a Twitter/X account. This might be a useful inter-member communications channel. Members may message each other using some specific BAS #tags. This may make make it easier for members to see if other members also plan to attend specific BAS events.

The name of the BAS account is: @BrisAstronomy

A few hash-tags #tags have been created for the main events BAS conducts:

Mount Coot-tha Public Nights = #BASCootha
Maleny Observatory Nights = #BASMaleny
Calvert Model Aero Nights = #BASCalvert
Cunningham Lookout Nights = #BASCunningham
Warwick Archers Nights = #BASWarwick
School Nights = #BASSchool

By posting on Twitter/X using a tag such as #BASMaleny, and saying you plan on attending a Maleny Observatory evening, other Twitter/X users can search for the #BASMaleny tag and see the messages left by members, and add to the converation. This may make planning attendance at an evening a bit more transparent.

BAS Management Committee 2024/25

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At the October 26th 2024 Annual General Meeting, the following BAS members were elected to the BAS Management Committee for 2024/25

Peter Allison – President
Paul Baker
Nathan Eikenbary
Dean Stewart – Secretary
Subbarao Sivakumar – Treasurer
Ken Wishaw – Maleny Observatory Co-ordinator)
Mike Zupanc – Education Co-ordinator

2022 Queensland Astrofest

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Queensland Astrofest 2022 is on.

It will take place at Camp Duckadang from Friday 22nd July through to Sunday 31st July 2022.

Event details are available, and accommodation bookings are now being accepted, at the Queensland Astrofest website: https://qldastriofest.org.au

The Queensland Astrofest was first held in 1993 and has been held every subsequent year up to 2019. The world then went on pause as we all focused on the health and well-being of communities at large; gatherings of people were restricted. Perhaps only when something is halted, do we fully appreciate its importance, and this is certainly true for this iconic astronomical event; an event which plays such a powerful role in popularising astronomy across all people in our communities, young and old alike.

It is difficult to concisely encapsulate what Astrofest means to the thousands of people that have attended the event over the past 29 years, from its humble beginnings in 1993 to the well-known and much-loved occasion it has become, run under the auspices of several Queensland Astronomical societies. The event brings together people from all different paths in life to enjoy a shared experience, to both teach and to learn from others and to pass on their passion to the next generation.

Brisbane Astronomical Society is especially proud of the role it played in that early genesis of an event that would go on to become one of the most enduring Astro Camps in the world today. We encourage all our members to indulge themselves and attend one or more nights to appreciate how special the event is.

We would also very much like to acknowledge the extremely generous support we have received from our sponsors over the years and they have really stepped up this year to make the return of Astrofest better than ever.

Sponsors for 2022 include:
Astro Anarchy
BINTEL
Celestron
Palmway Optical
SailPoint
Skywatcher
Testar
UNIFY Solutions

Full details of all our sponsors and the prizes they have donated this year, along with registration can be found on the Astrofest website, https://qldastriofest.org.au.

We look forward to seeing Brisbane Astronomical Society strongly represented amongst those attending.

What Telescope Should I Buy?

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What telescope should I buy?  This is a very common question and perplexing for many adults wanting to get started in astronomy, or parents wanting to purchase a telescope for a child.

To cut directly to an answer, Brisbane Astronomical Society suggests a Dobsonian telescope is often the best choice, for multiple reasons.   We hope the attached PDF document will help you make the right purchase decision.