Bathurst Observatory Research Facility

Bathurst Observatory Research Facility A place where you can learn about sky law, view through the telescopes, or just admire the sky. Bookings essential.

Our web site has current information about tour dates, prices and times.

I set up my oldest telescope on the 18th. This telescope I made in the mid 1980's and was my first telescope. It is stil...
18/09/2026

I set up my oldest telescope on the 18th. This telescope I made in the mid 1980's and was my first telescope. It is still highly capable of great images, such as the Moon!

The Helix Nebula. A dying star shedding its outer layers. Still progressing with our equipment updates while our tours a...
14/09/2026

The Helix Nebula. A dying star shedding its outer layers. Still progressing with our equipment updates while our tours are suspended due to the highway closure.

Eagle Nebula. Recent image I forgot I had taken while testing the new camera!
02/09/2026

Eagle Nebula. Recent image I forgot I had taken while testing the new camera!

Nebula (star forming region) M17, the Swan Nebula, recently imaged with the new equipment!
15/08/2026

Nebula (star forming region) M17, the Swan Nebula, recently imaged with the new equipment!

Comet 10/P Temple is faintly visible in binoculars between Aquarius and Fomalhaut. It is some 63million km from Earth, b...
08/08/2026

Comet 10/P Temple is faintly visible in binoculars between Aquarius and Fomalhaut. It is some 63million km from Earth, but still the best pass this comet has had since the 1960's. Of note in this image is the faint line marking the orbital debris shed by the comet.

Something I haven't done for a while. I imaged the planet Venus in twilight on the 2nd of August. Venus is currently the...
02/08/2026

Something I haven't done for a while. I imaged the planet Venus in twilight on the 2nd of August. Venus is currently the very bright object in our western sky after sunset. The planet itself generally looks a bit disappointing through a telescope. As it is totally covered in clouds of carbon dioxide, you can't see any surface features. We also see it somewhat from behind, hence why it shows phases.

Here is another recent image from the new wide field telescope. This is the Cat's Paw Nebula! Waiting to do more testing...
27/07/2026

Here is another recent image from the new wide field telescope. This is the Cat's Paw Nebula! Waiting to do more testing once the moon has past full. I am also taking this break in tours to update the technology in the observatory! Hopefully the closure of the highway isn't the full year they are saying it will be. Tours will resume once the highway reopens.

I used a clear night to image the Moon in a bit of detail on the 20th of July.
20/07/2026

I used a clear night to image the Moon in a bit of detail on the 20th of July.

First image from the new wide field telescope and camera of the Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae. This was a test of the system...
15/07/2026

First image from the new wide field telescope and camera of the Lagoon and Trifid Nebulae. This was a test of the system and the frames were a bit shorter than I plan in the future. But it does show the quality of the new scope and camera. The processing of the images is very different and I have to learn again!

It has been a very long run of cloudy weather, so I have been making changes and adjustments to the main telescope. I ha...
10/07/2026

It has been a very long run of cloudy weather, so I have been making changes and adjustments to the main telescope. I have had some extra horse power involved as well. I am still way behind on my own work, so still unsure when the next tours will be. A big issue is the closure of the highway for up to a year. I do have running costs that just aren’t being covered with only a few people per tour. It may be a case of waiting until it opens again so I at least break even on tour nights.

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6 Priors Lane, Billywillinga
Bathurst, NSW
2795

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