Perth Observatory Newsletter | September 2021

EDITOR'S NOTE

by James Chesters September 2021

Welcome to Perth Observatory's Spring Equinox newsletter.

Perth Observatory Volunteer Group acknowledges we operate on the traditional lands of the Whadjuk-Noongar people.

As we move into the season of Kambarang in the Noongar calendar, the Perth Hills are alive with wildflowers. There are more than 12,000 species of wildflowers in Western Australia, so it's an excellent excuse to come visit us for a Sunday guided day tour.

However, the best views at the observatory are at night. In this edition of the newsletter, find out what's up where and when in the night sky from our star master Matt Woods.

Over the next few months, we've got everything from planetary alignments and lunar eclipses to meteor showers, galaxies, and nebulas to show you.

There's one thing you can say about our starry southern sky: it never gets boring.

Also in this Spring Equinox edition of the newsletter, we have events a-plenty.

Join us for Cosmoscon next month, celebrating Perth Observatory's 125th birthday, along with some very special and spooky events in October.

Not to be missed in November is Astrofest, one of the busiest days of the year for Perth Observatory volunteers. We hope we'll see you at Western Australia's oldest observatory for an event or a tour soon.

Kalamunda has long been an important meeting place for Noongar people, and our local area contains campsites and spiritual sites used from pre-contact to the present day.

POVG pay our respects to Noongar Elders past, present.

Contributors: Dr Colin Armstrong | Dr Craig Bowers | Jay Chesters | Julie Matthews | Matt Woods | Paul Wadham | Zoe Fraussen

Page 5: 2021's Meteor Showers | Starting with the faint and fast Orionids in October, through to the Geminids in December, several key meteor showers mark the end of 2021.

Page 12: Mminor planet named after Perth Astronomer| The International Astronomical Union has officially named a minor planet after Dr Craig Bowers.

Page 19: Is there life on Venus? | Venus is often described as a hellhole. Recent reports that it might show signs of possible life are very surprising.

Page 28: Geminids meteor shower night | Join us on December 14 and witness the Southern Hemisphere’s best meteor shower of the year.

A VIEW THROUGH THE EYEPIECE

POVG CHAIR DR COLIN ARMSTRONG

Summer is an excellent time for visiting Perth Observatory – and there is so much to see in the coming months.

In this edition of the newsletter, Matt Woods does an excellent job reporting everything happening in the fantastic southern night sky in the coming months.

There are meteor showers, a lunar eclipse, conjunctions between the Moon and planets, and so much more. We can’t wait to show them all to you.

We are also excited for a cornucopia of events happening on the hill at Bickley; there’s something for everyone.

From spooky events in October to a gas giants photography workshop with the esteemed Roger Groom, from the Geminids Meteor Shower night to a Doctor Who night tour.

If nights aren’t easy for you to do, we’re still open every Sunday for day tours of Perth Observatory and grounds, including our nowfamous fairy doors.

I’m delighted to be celebrating the achievement of Perth Observatory’s honorary historian, Dr Craig Bowers, who has had a minor planet named after him.

Not many people can say they have planets named in their honour!

Behind the scenes, the observatory is a hive of activity, as always.

Countless hours of work have gone into the new Perth Observatory website. Now live, it's sleeker, faster and better than ever. A big thank you goes to Matt Woods and Roger Groom for their efforts making this possible.

Speaking of new things, we recently received the final draft of the plan for our renovated museum. We're also working on producing for you a 'digital museum' that we will be displaying while the physical museum is temporarily closed for the renovations.

The new museum's plans are being kept closely under wraps at the moment, but I hope to be able to share them with you all in the next Perth Observatory Newsletter. Watch this space!

This quarter's newsletter is packed full of pages and pages of great content for you to enjoy. Thanks to our editor-in-chief, Jay Chesters, for another great edition.

I hope to see you all soon under the stars at Western Australia’s oldest observatory!