The Star Light Observer Observatory

Welcome 38.107.191.91 you are visitor 2313 since 11_08_2008

Welcome to the Star Light Observatory Picture books are fine and videos are cool but nothing beats looking at the stars with your own eyes.

	Galaxies	Star clusters	Earth's Moon	Stars
from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Earth, Sol, Milkyway, local group :-) (Also shown on UHF TV - Amateur Television Melbourne - below SBS see: vk3 khb site for details. )
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Ever wanted to look at the stars to see what is there to see?
The Star Light Observatory uses a portable computerise 200 mm optical telescope to
show the wonders of the night sky, the mountains on the moon or the dark spots on the sun.
Specific objects may only be visible at the certain times and in some cases the from certain sites,
which also depend upon weather and light pollution conditions.

Solar observation is possible, through filters, using eyepieces or via CCD cameras and TV monitors.
Lunar observations are done the same way. Especially with large numbers of observers and easier to display.
Recording images to video tape or computer hard disk is possible.
Stellar objects are either through the telescope or via a special CCD camera and computer screen.
Man made satellites, space stations and shuttles are also possible to view.

To make a booking contact me:
gak @ gak . net . au

Since 1969 the Star Light Observatory's principle observer has been an amateur astronomer.

The main telescope:
A 1994 (classic) Meade F10 200mm Schmidt-Cassegrain LX-200.
Computerised optical telescope with interfaces for a digital camera and remote computer control. Operating under version 3.34 firmware, (epoch 2000.0)

The main camera is a 1997 SBIG digital ST-7 with CFW-8. A dual CCD camera, 768x510 pixels in a 9x9 micron per pixel array image CCD & 165x192 pixels tracking CCD. Colour images through RBG filters & operating with CCDOPS V3.80 & V5.01 software for image capture.

Modified video CCD cameras are also used to take spectacular images of the southern hemisphere's night sky, moon and sun. Viewing can be done via eye pieces or in a warm room via computer screen or television. These images can also be transmitted across the Melbourne metro area via the free to air Amatuer TV service.

Gary Kennedy
1997 image

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You can listen to the Australia wide VK3EKH net astronomy talks rebroadcast by me, VK3KHB, to astronomical images on the free to air Amatuer TV channel (below SBS) ~10pm most fridays.

I also do the occasional talk and field trip with the RMIT Visual Communications Department, the Institute of Photographic Technology (IPT) and AIMBI groups as well as attend the Astronomical Society of Victoria star parties held at Heathcote.

The Astronomical Society of Victoria and other Astronomical Societies offer the public viewing sessions during specific times of the year and at specific venues. Check newspapers, local papers or their respective web sites. These are usually patronised by 10's to 100's of people and demonstrate the wide variety of telescopes and astronomers alike.These are great venues to visit if you are interested but not sure if astronomy is for you.

The service is operated as a hobby and can draw on other amateur astronomers should the need arise.

Updated June 2008