River Murray International Dark Sky Reserve has pristine dark night skies. In this episode, I have the pleasure of hosting Chris Tugwell, the chairman of  Mid Murray Landcare South Australia. He talks to us about opportunities offered by River Murray Dark Sky Reserve for stargazing and nightscape astrophotography.   Time stamps : 05:37 : Have there been any measures implemented in River Murray Dark Sky Reserve to reduce or limit light pollution ? 07:27 : How is night sky brightness measured ? 11:33 : What does the figure 21.9 in your dark sky reserve's logo signify ? 12:36 : Can one ..read more

Big Bend Ranch State Park is a wonderful destination to enjoy pristine dark night skies. In this episode, Amber Harrison shares with us valuable information on opportunities for stargazing and nightscape astrophotography in Big Bend Ranch State Park.   Time stamps : 05:27 : Have there been any measures implemented in Big Bend Ranch State Park to reduce or limit light pollution ? 07:48 : Can one see the Milky Way from Big Bend Ranch State Park ? When can one see the Milky Way from Big Bend Ranch State Park ? 08:48 : Are there any observatories in the region ? 09:36 : Are there any planeta ..read more

Donna Burton has always in love with the night sky. She has discovered two comets being one of few women to have ever done so. In this episode, she shares with us useful information on stargazing and nightscape astrophotography in Warrumbungle National Park.   Time stamps : 03:02 : Have there been any measures implemented in Warrumbungle National Park to reduce or limit light pollution ? 05:54 : Can one see the Milky Way from Warrumbungle National Park ? When can one see the Milky Way from Warrumbungle National Park ? 07:02 : Are there any observatories in the region ? 08:06 : Are there ..read more

In addition to being an outstanding dark sky defender, Marnie Ogg has thirty years of experience in the travel industry. In this episode, she shares with us precious information on dark sky tourism in Australia.   Time stamps : 02:02 : What brought you to dark sky advocacy ? and When did you get started ? 05:15 : Could you please present the Australasian Dark Sky Alliance to our audience and the work that it does ? 09:21 : One of the missions of the Australasian Dark Sky Alliance is to create business opportunities that support night sky preservation. Could you please elaborate on this a ..read more

Dr. Mark Westmoquette completed his PhD in Astrophysics at University College London in 2007. He studied the effects of young, energetic stars on their surroundings. He went on to do post-doctoral research for seven years at University College London and at the European Southern Observatory in Munich, Germany. In 2013, he decided to leave professional research to focus on teaching yoga and mindfulness. In this episode, Mark shares with us his insightful approaches to mindful stargazing.   Time stamps : 04:12 : What is mindful stargazing ? 13:12 : How to stargaze mindfully ? 17:22 : How c ..read more

Dr. Stella Kafka was awarded the Hollis and Grete Johnson Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Research at Indiana University. She has also received the National Optical Astronomy Observatory Excellence Award for her work at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. In this episode, she shares with us a wealth of knowledge on variable stars and useful information on observing them.   Time stamps : 08:05 : What is a variable star ? What causes stars to change in brightness ? 14:10 : How do we discover and observe variable stars ? 18:35 : Are variable stars rare ? 19:09 : W ..read more

Robin Scagell is Vice President of the Society of Popular Astronomy. He is the author of several astronomy books, including Complete Guide to Stargazing, 101 Objects to Spot in the Night Sky and Stargazing with a Telescope. In this episode, he shares with us invaluable information on observing the Perseid meteor shower.   Time stamps : 03:37 : What do the Perseids look like ? 04:55 : What causes the Perseid meteor shower ? Where do the Perseids come from ? 07:20 : Where to look in the sky to see the Perseid meteor shower ? 09:25 : What is the best time to see the Perseid meteor shower ..read more

Phil Harrington has authored 9 books in the field of amateur astronomy and for his many contributions to this field across the past five decades, he was awarded the 2018 Walter Scott Houston Award at that year's Stellafane convention in Springfield, Vermont. In this episode, he shares with us his vast knowledge of solar eclipses and valuable recommendations for safely observing them.   Time stamps : 05:37 : What happens during a solar eclipse ? 07:31 : What are the stages of a solar eclipse ? 08:58 : How often do solar eclipses occur ? 12:21 : Why isn't there a solar eclipse every month ..read more

A ..read more

A ..read more