Northern Sydney Astronomical Society

Note: All meetings (except observing nights) are held at 7.30pm at Regis Hall, St. Ignatius’ College, Riverview

We are a club based in the northern suburbs of Sydney (NSW, Australia), containing a number of streams to cater for astronomy related interests at all levels.  We have a number of core streams and activities at NSAS and these are listed below. Please visit the site regularly to get updated news on our upcoming events and activities.  Our core streams/activities are:

Once a month (at 7:30pm on the third Tuesday of the month) we meet at Regis Hall in the grounds of St Ignatius’ College, Riverview Street, Lane Cove (click here for a map).  This meeting focuses on the theoretical aspects of astronomy, each month featuring a guest lecturer, and touching on subjects such as cosmology and astrophysics.

The New Astronomers Group is a seven month course, held on the fourth Tuesday of the month at Regis Hall in the grounds of St Ignatius’ College, Riverview Street, Lane Cove (click here for a map). It’s a great place for people who have recently purchased or plan to purchase a telescope and would like to learn how to use it. The group also caters for those of us who are have had their telescopes for a while and are interested in talks and presentations on the latest updates in astronomy. If you have a problem with your telescope and need advice with it, please contact us beforehand from the menu above and bring your scope along with you on the night. Topics we cover include star-hopping the night sky, learning to use your telescope more effectively, astrophotography and other practical areas of astronomy. ANNOUNCEMENT: New course starts in March.  See here for details.

The fifth Tuesday of the month (when there is one) is devoted to Maths as it relates to astronomy. Learn about orbits, gravitational interactions, optics and how the great scientists of history used mathematics in their work. We meet at Regis Hall, St. Ignatius’ College at 7.30pm.

The Theory Group is focused on those who want to learn more about the universe.  Currently this group is viewing lectures on DVD from a university course, covering 2-3 lectures each meeting, with a discussion on the lecture following each one.  We meet once a month on the second Tuesday of the month at Regis Hall in the grounds of St Ignatius’ College, Riverview Street, Lane Cove (click here for a map).  Topics cover the solar system, galaxies, black holes, comets, the stars, star formation, astronomy history, and much more. Starts at 7:45pm. ANNOUNCEMENT: Currently on a 3 month hiatus.

Viewing nights (aka “star parties”) take place either at Howson Oval, Turramurra, or at the North Turramurra Golf Course (click the links for a map), on the Fridays around the time of the new moon (with Saturdays as backup) – generally starting as the sun is hitting the horizon and continuing until everyone has had enough.  You don’t need to have your own telescope to come along to the viewing nights – members with scopes are usually more than happy to let new members and visitors look through theirs.  The club also has its own telescope (a 6″ dobsonian) that those without their own scope can use. The observation night schedule can be found here.

Visitors are always welcome at any of our events to find out more about us before becoming a member. If you would like to become a member, click the Join link in the menu above. Note that normal meetings are not held during the month of January (observing nights are still held).