Mt Stromlo Observatory

15/10/2026

Movies under the stars are coming to Mt Stromlo Observatory. 🎬🌌

Book your spot for Do Nothing* Under the Stars (Interstellar): https://outreach1.rezdy.com/785025/stromlo-outdoor-cinema-headspace-day-celebrations

Stromlo Outdoor Cinema turns our iconic 74-inch dome into a movie screen. Grab a blanket, settle in on the grass, and watch a space movie play out under the night sky.

Six Friday night screenings, six sci-fi favourites:
🚀 23 Oct: Interstellar
🪐 13 Nov: The Martian
👽 4 Dec: Arrival
🌠 11 Dec: Hidden Figures
🤖 8 Jan: Wall-E
🌌 15 Jan: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Our opening night is free! We’re teaming up with headspace Tuggeranong for their headspace Day celebrations. 💛

Tickets for all other screenings are $15 adult, $8 child and $12 student or concession. Book your spot here: https://outreach1.rezdy.com/779726/stromlo-outdoor-cinema

Doors open at 7:30pm and the movie starts after dark.

19/09/2026

Today is International Observing the Moon Night hosted by NASA! Spend some time and take a look at the Moon!

Happy observing 🌕

Learn more about the night: https://science.nasa.gov/moon/observe-the-moon-night/

17/09/2026

The last public night of the year is happening tonight! 🌌

It might be cloudy, but the telescopes and talks are ready either way.

See you up there! ✨

08/09/2026

✨M20: Trifid Nebula✨

Located 5,000 light-years away in the Sagittarius constellation, the Trifid Nebula was named after the three wing-like bands of thick dust that make up its main structure.

A group of massive, bright stars recently formed at the centre of the nebula. Together, these stars release ultraviolet radiation that heavily influences the structure and evolution of the surrounding nebula, blowing away gas and dust and preventing new stars from forming nearby.

More about the photo

This photo is part of our effort to restore archival slides, plates and photos from Mt Stromlo Observatory, taken by various telescopes and astronomers over the years.

📸 Trifid Nebula M20, captured by D.F. Malin (before 1980) using the Anglo-Australian Telescope at Siding Spring Observatory.

05/09/2026

The Heliostat and Clabon Walter Allen

From 1926 into the 1940s, Clabon Walter Allen worked at the newly established Commonwealth Solar Observatory, where he studied the Sun more closely than almost anyone else on Earth. His photometric study became widely celebrated as the most accurate and comprehensive of its time, and was regarded as the international authority on the Sun.

His 1940s research into solar disturbances turned out to matter far beyond astronomy, proven essential to overcoming the radio communication issues that came with an unpredictable Sun during the Second World War.

Allen went on to become Perren Professor of Astronomy at University College London and Director of the University of London Observatory at Mill Hill. When he eventually retired, he returned to Canberra. He remained an active member of the local community until his passing on 11 December 1987.

02/09/2026

The Stromlo School Holiday Programme is back this Spring! 🚀🌙

Learn more and book now: https://outreach1.rezdy.com/765800/mount-stromlo-2026-spring-school-holiday-programme

Hands-on astronomy activities designed for curious minds of Years 3 to 6, through out the whole spring school holiday. Pick the sessions that excite you most:

🪐 Discover the wonderful world of planets and moons
🚀 Build your own rocket and shoot for the stars
🤖 Challenge yourself with coding and robotics
💨 Wonder how to build a spinning wind turbine
🌍 Head out on a full day excursion and step into a Planetarium
✨ Stargaze into the sky of Spring

Details:
Year 3 to 6
29 Sep - 8 Oct 2026 (Every Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday)
8:30 am - 12:30 pm (till 4 pm for excursion)
From $55 per session

24/08/2026

Our astronomers also had fun launching so many rockets! Can't wait for us to launch rockets with all of you again!

Thank you South.Point Tuggeranong for participating in the National Science Week ACT and hosting us!

19/08/2026

Our second-to-last Public Astronomy Night of the year is coming this Friday ✨

Wear something warm and we'll see you up on the mountain, with talks and telescopes waiting. 🔭

18/08/2026

These gloomy days with rain and cloud make us long for the ones with sunshine and clear skies 🌤️

13/08/2026

Come and find us for rocket launching workshop and solar observing Come find us for a rocket launching workshop and solar observing at The Australian National University, as we celebrate our 80th birthday together!

Don't forget to register for ANU Community Day as we celebrate 80 years!

This year, The Australian National University turns 80, and we're inviting the Canberra community to celebrate with us. Explore our beautiful campus, enjoy a day of activities, and discover the rich stories that have shaped the ANU community over the past eight decades.

Register now: quicklink.anu.edu.au/9jpj

Explore the program: quicklink.anu.edu.au/ttyc