Canberra Stargazing

12/06/2026

Winter in the Woods is a magical seasonal escape where nature warms the soul, even on the coldest days.

Rug up as the National Arboretum Canberra comes alive with firelight, food and stargazing beneath winter skies. Explore Warm Trees wrapped in vibrant knitted scarves, toast marshmallows and sip mulled wine around the fire.

Spark creativity with art workshops, lantern making and First Nations cultural experiences — with nature play and storytelling for families too.

From 26 June to 9 August, this is winter reimagined beneath the stars. We can’t wait to stargaze with you at the Arboretum!

https://events.humanitix.com/stargazing-witw26

06/06/2026

Beautiful clear skies this long weekend!
Come join us tomorrow Sunday 🔭
https://www.canberrastargazing.com.au/

02/06/2026

Shooting stars are spiritually connected in many cultures, from some Native American cultures (The Wintu and The Chumash for example) believing them to be souls or spirits travelling to the afterlife, to reminders of divine presence in Hinduism, and bringers of good luck and favourable change in European cultures, even so far as believing them to be signs of deification if they occurred during the death/funeral of an influential figure.

Today shooting stars have been incorporated into meditation and mindfulness, as witnessing one is still somewhat of a spiritual experience.

Meteors travel at speed up to 70km/s creating immense friction and heat leading to burn up. While not easy to see due to their brief duration, the colour of the shooting star gives an insight to its makeup - yellow/ orange for iron rich and white/bluish white for magnesium rich meteors.

https://www.crystalinks.com/meteor.folklore.html

https://www.starscapes.zone/what-is-a-shooting-star/ #:~:text=Shooting%20stars%20have%20inspired%20myths,fleeting%20beauty%20and%20life%27s%20impermanence.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfe_Creek_Crater

https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/meteors-meteorites/

https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/comets/

https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-science-space/ancient-meteor-0010564

29/05/2026

There are so many wonderful facts to discover about our celestial neighbour, the Moon. 🌙

Because we all live at different latitudes, people around the world perceive the Moon in beautifully unique ways. This creates a rich tapestry of stories, interpretations, and sky‑watching traditions.

One lovely example from the Southern Hemisphere is the Japanese folktale of the Moon Rabbit. A story that imagines a rabbit living on the lunar surface, pounding mochi beneath the glow of the full Moon.

Its orbit adds even more complexity. The Moon’s orbital tilt slowly varies over an 18.6‑year cycle, swinging between 18.3° and 28.6° relative to Earth’s equator.

And despite all this motion, we always see the same lunar face.

📸

26/05/2026

Sky Commons, the Night Sky Statement for Humanity as an Australia-born project https://www.skycommons.earth/

16,910 satellites are still in space (defunct + functioning), out of ~25,170 satellites placed into Earth orbit since 1957. In the last 5 years alone, over 15,800 satellites have been launched into space (https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/yearly-number-of-objects-launched-into-outer-space?time=earliest..2025 -the-data United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, 2026).

An additional 1.23 million proposed satellite projects are in various stages of development (https://outerspaceinstitute.ca/osisite/wp-content/uploads/Onemillionpapersatellites-AcceptedVersion.pdf).

Space debris is a growing issue. Currently there are 54000 space objects greater than 10 cm (including approx. 9300 active payloads), 1.2 million space debris objects between 1 cm to 10 cm, and 140 million space debris objects 1 mm to 1 cm in size.
(https://sdup.esoc.esa.int/discosweb/statist

🎥

18/05/2026

More than 80% of the world experiences skies polluted by artificial light. This means about 30% of the people living under these afflicted skies cannot see the Milky Way. This light scatters far beyond the boundaries of cities and towns, and pollutes even the most rural of locations. This is not just about being able to see the Milky Way, the night sky holds cultural importance for Indigenous people, affects circadian rhythms, behaviours of nocturnal animals.

Come join us for an evening experience offering a taste of dark skies at Canberra Stargazing.

Visit Australia’s Leader in Dark Sky Policy - Australasian Dark Sky Alliance, The New World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness | Science Advances and Blue Mountains Dark Sky Initiative for more on Dark Skies.

Thank you to our wonderful Stargazing guide and her project partner Sif for the video and work part of be Science Communication course.

01/04/2026

Follow the imminent take-off of Artemis II and its crew for a 10-day flight around the Moon and back on NASA's live broadcast.

How refreshing to hear about space and a positive, sensible mission!

This feed will provide continuous coverage of Artemis II mission activities with live commentary, beginning with tanking of the SLS (Space Launch System) roc...

19/12/2025

Some gifts fade.
Some gifts sparkle.

Not things. Offer the stars. 🌌

A guided 90-minute stargazing experience led by astronomers they’ll never forget.
✔️ Valid for 3 years
✔️ 3 breathtaking locations
— Blue Mountains
— Jervis Bay
— Canberra

Give wonder. Give time. Give the universe.

A Unique Gift and Memories for a Lifetime

15/11/2025

We're Open!
www.canberrastargazing.com.au

30/10/2025

Canberra Stargazing Open soon! 💫
www.canberrastargazing.com.au