River Murray International Dark Sky Reserve

10/06/2026

Dark Sky Partner Shout-Out: River Murray Dark Sky Tours by House Experiences!

Want to experience the magic of the cosmos under the absolute gold-standard of luxury tour hosting? Look no further than our incredible 4th Prize Sponsor: the team at Juggle House Experiences!

🚐 The Experience: As master regional travel jugglers, they operate the award-winning River Murray Dark Sky Tours. They transport you in absolute style in their custom Mercedes 'Entertainer' coach right out into exclusive, pitch-black private properties inside the pristine core of our Reserve.

🔭 The Science: Led by professional guides, you’ll receive an expert-guided tour of ancient star systems, nebulas, and constellations using high-powered green lasers and heavy-duty tracking telescopes—completely free from city light pollution.

✨ Happening THIS WEEKEND (12–13 June): Ancient Skies Tour Feature! ✨
Ever wondered how Aboriginal Australians read the same night skies watched by the Ancient Egyptians? Space is limited for this weekend's exclusive tour featuring world-renowned cultural astronomy specialist Paul 'Starman' Curnow (celebrating 33 years at the Adelaide Planetarium)!

👉 Book This Weekend's Tour Directly Here: https://www.rivermurraydarkskytours.com.au/book-now/

🖤 The Raffle Prize: We are so incredibly grateful to Kelly and the Juggle House team for donating a River Murray Dark Sky Tours Double Pass (valued at $260) to aid our volunteer conservation goals!

👉 Put the balls down, relax, and support our Citizen Science mission by securing your raffle entries today! You don't need to attend the Solstice event to win:

🎟️ Enter the Raffle Here: https://events.humanitix.com/ground-to-the-stars-a-winter-solstice-celebration/tickets

08/06/2026

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: The Tiny Telescope Revolutionising Skycare

Ever wanted to capture a distant galaxy but felt completely overwhelmed by complicated astrophotography gear? Say hello to our incredible Sponsor: DWARF LAB

The Science: Traditional deep-sky imaging requires heavy motorized tracking mounts, special polar alignment scopes, and complex DSLR adapters. The DWARF mini Smart Telescope changes everything. Weighing only 840g, it connects directly to your smartphone or tablet.

Why it’s pure Skycare magic: Using advanced star tracking and an internal Sony Starvis sensor, you simply tap an object like the Orion Nebula or Saturn on your screen. The tiny telescope automatically moves, tracks, and stacks multiple exposures right before your eyes to reveal vibrant celestial colours. It makes universe exploration completely accessible to curious beginners and local landholders alike.

🖤 A massive thank you to the team at DWARFLAB for donating the ultimate mini Smart Telescope Kit (valued at $895) for our Winter Solstice Raffle.

👉 Grab your individual raffle tickets online right here to support our Skycare monitoring networks: https://events.humanitix.com/ground-to-the-stars-a-winter-solstice-celebration/tickets

08/06/2026

📢 AURORA WATCH: Solar Storm Expected Tonight (Monday 8 June) + CLEAR SKIES! 📢

Get your cameras ready!

The Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre (ASWFC) has issued an official Aurora Watch. A Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) is tracking toward Earth, with impacts expected to arrive near midnight tonight in South Australia.

Tonight's Key Timings (River Murray International Dark Sky Reserve):
🖤 Sunset: 17:12 ACST
🖤 Astronomical Twilight Ends: 18:40 ACST (True, absolute darkness begins!)
🖤 Moonrise: 23:53 ACST

This gives us a perfect 5-hour window of pure, uninterrupted dark skies early in the night before the moon rises right around the predicted storm peak!

What to expect at RMIDSR:
✨ THE STORM: Forecasts predict G2 (Moderate) to G3 (Strong) geomagnetic conditions.
✨ THE WEATHER: SkippySky Astronomy Forecasts show clear skies across our Dark Sky Reserve tonight.
✨ VISIBILITY: While it may look like a faint glow to the naked eye, camera sensors will easily pick up the southern colours.

📸 How to view & capture:Find an unobstructed view looking directly South. Avoid local lights—make use of the ultra-dark conditions at our core viewing sites. Use a tripod and try a 2–5 second exposure (ISO 1600+) on your camera or phone.Heading out?

Track live solar wind data via the NOAA Space Weather Dashboard.
Drive safely on the roads, and tag us in your photos so we can share the best shots from the Reserve tomorrow! Either way, it will be a perfect stargazing window in the Reserve tonight!

🔗 Useful Links:
ASWFC Alerts: https://www.sws.bom.gov.au/
SkippySky Forecasts: http://www.skippysky.com.au/
NOAA Dashboard: https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/communities/space-weather-enthusiasts-dashboard

08/06/2026

Wow, South Australia! Our public ticket allocation for the June Winter Solstice event completely filled up in less than two days, but our Waitlist is officially live!

Here is a quick look at the incredible magic from our April PUBLIC STARGAZING NIGHT AND WORKSHOP pilot event! Stargazing SA Matt Clarke

Joining the Waitlist helps us prove massive regional demand to future funding bodies so we can keep expanding these events! Want to support our mission right now?

Our massive $1,934! Giant Skycare Conservation Raffle is live nationwide!

You do not need to attend in person to win our world-class tech, tourism, or dining prizes—including the DWARFLAB mini Smart Telescope Kit valued at $895! 🖤
https://events.humanitix.com/ground-to-the-stars-a-winter-solstice-celebration/tickets

Check the comments below for the full event timeline and direct links to join the Waitlist or grab your Raffle Tickets today!

06/06/2026

Scientists around the world are celebrating the creation of the largest magnetic map of the universe ever produced.

Data gathered by scientists at a radio observatory in WA's Murchison has resulted in a new "map" detailing the magnetic web of our observable universe.

06/06/2026

Your weekend Astronomical Outlook for the River Murray International Dark Sky Reserve (RMIDSR).

This week, we feature Pellaring Flat, located right on the western boundary of the reserve, recognising the collective commitment to Skycare that protects our natural nighttime heritage from the river cliffs to the stars. This commitment is more vital than ever. Throughout the Reserve and our surrounding districts, every township plays a vital role in preserving our pristine night skies.

PELLARING FLAT | Saturday, 6 June 2026
Sunrise: 07:13 | Sunset: 17:09
Moonrise: 21:55 | Moonset: 11:29 (Sunday)
Astronomical Twilight Ends: 18:37
Moon Phase: Last Quarter 🌓 (~59%)
Pellaring Flat, SA | 34.82° S, 139.63° E

🖤 This breathtaking capture of the Aurora Australis dancing over the reserve comes from dedicated community member Cath Klippel, perfectly showcasing how collective local commitment to keeping our dark skies truly world-class. (April 2026) 🖤

[WEEKEND SNAPSHOT]

• [Lunar Impact]: 3-Hour Pristine Window opens wide from 18:37 until 21:55 before the 59% moon climbs over the horizon.

• [Target Window]: Pure pitch-black skies for deep-sky hunters and Milky Way core capture before late-night lunar illumination.

• [Southern Hemisphere View]: The moon phase graphic on our tile mirrors exactly what you see looking up tonight (lit on the right half).

• [Sky-Health Index]: Baseline Regional Sky Quality sitting at a world-class 21.7 mag/arcsec².

🖤

04/06/2026

WOW, South Australia. You have completely left us starstruck!

Our ticket registration for "Ground to the Stars: A Winter Solstice Celebration" has officially reached full venue capacity and is FULLY BOOKED in less than 48 hours!

For context, our inaugural community pilot event took eight days to fill. Halving that timeframe to under two days proves that the public appetite for "Skycare," regional connection, and protecting our natural nightscapes is booming.

To everyone who secured their tickets—the countdown is officially on to celebrate the longest night of the year with you at the Swan Reach Area School Gym and Oval on Saturday 20 June.

🖤 HELP US GET MORE HANDS ON DECK & SHOW REGIONAL DEMAND 🖤
If you missed out on a spot, please do not scroll away. We need you to click the link and join our master waitlist right now.

Join the Official Waitlist on Humanitix
https://events.humanitix.com/ground-to-the-stars-a-winter-solstice-celebration

🌑 Recruiting Reinforcements: We are actively working behind the scenes to recruit more volunteer hands to responsibly release more spaces for the night.

🌑 Future Expansion: A true waitlist helps us prove genuine local demand to stakeholders, unlocking future grant funding, securing larger regional venues, and launching even grander public expos down the track.

🌑 Your Click Counts: Joining the list is a direct, measurable vote for the growth and expansion of the Swan Reach Dark Sky Hub.

🖤 NO TICKET? YOU CAN STILL SUPPORT THE MISSION & WIN BIG 🖤

https://events.humanitix.com/ground-to-the-stars-a-winter-solstice-celebration/tickets

Thank you to everyone backing the Mid Murray Landcare SA, Mid Murray Our Town, and RMIDSR ecosystem. Together, we are keeping the dark skies bright with wonder.

03/06/2026

Six Prizes. One Mission. Save the Night.

Our massive Winter Solstice Skycare Raffle is officially LIVE! After raising over $2400 in our first-ever raffle, we are back with an even bigger multi-prize pool valued at over $1,934! Every single ticket sold directly funds our ongoing Skycare conservation projects, keeping our 3,200 square kilometre Dark Sky Reserve healthy, and pristine.

Can’t make it to the event in person? No problem! You do not need to attend on the night to win—we welcome support from dark sky lovers anywhere across Australia!

🌑 1st Prize: DWARF LAB mini Smart Telescope Kit, Tripod & Case from DWARFLAB. (Valued at $895)
🌑 2nd Prize: A 1-night stay at the Swan Reach Hotel—your Gateway to the Galaxy. (Valued at $300)
🌑 3rd Prize: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 Binoculars + Astro Night Red Light Headlamp from Adelaide Optical. (Valued at $299)
🌑 4th Prize: River Murray Dark Sky Tours Double Pass (Self-Drive Astronomy Session) by Juggle House Experiences. (Valued at $260)
🌑 5th Prize: Discovery Double Pass for a Swan Reach Observatory tour. (Valued at $160)
🌑 6th Prize: A local Swan Reach Dark Sky Takeaway burger and coffee voucher. (Valued at $20)
________________________________________

Key Details & Logistics
🌑 Winners Announced: Live at our public event on Saturday, 20 June at 8:30 PM.
🌑 Logistics: If you win from outside the region, we will work with you to arrange local collection or delivery right to your door.

🖤 Support the Reserve 🖤
1 Ticket: $3
4 Tickets: $10
10 Tickets: $20 (Best Value!)

Enter here: https://events.humanitix.com/ground-to-the-stars-a-winter-solstice-celebration/tickets

02/06/2026