Astronomical Society

The Ballaarat Astronomical Society was founded in 1958 on the initiative of members of the Astronomical Society of Victoria. Since then it has been custodian of the Ballarat Municipal Observatory, which was established in 1886 through the generosity of James Oddie, sometimes referred to as 'the father of Ballarat'.

Star Trails over The Ballarat Municipal Observatory

With the Observatory buildings as its base, the Society holds a General meeting on the second Friday of each second month, which usually features an astronomical talk, plus general business. Various activities are available on the other Friday evenings including telescope making, observing and computing.

The Observatory is open to the public every Friday and Saturday night from half an hour before sunset and viewing is available if the sky is clear. Our charges are listed here

Open nights for the public are held from time to time, especially if there is a special astronomical event (eclipse, comet, Mars close approach etc). These open nights are advertised in the Ballarat Courier newspaper and sometimes on regional radio.

Membership (form available here) is open to anyone over the age of 10 (see below for fees). Apart from joining in all Society activities, members are entitled to the use of the extensive facilities of the Society, including telescope training, use of the Library, and to borrow the Society's lending telescopes.

After three months in the Society members may be trained in the operation of the Observatory telescopes, and on qualifying, may use them and assist in demonstrations.

Visits by school groups, clubs and community groups can be booked in advance. Please phone the Observatory on (03) 5332 7526. A booking form is available for downloading here. The charges are listed on the form.

Telescope making has been a major activity throughout the life of the Society. Countless numbers have been launched on this path under expert guidance. In addition to hand grinding and polishing there is also an optical bench permanently set up.
Constructing a powerful optical telescope is within the capability of anyone with the interest to try. The main skill required is patience, although some hand skills are a help. Some members spend time building parts of their telescopes on Friday evenings. Materials and advice are available to those who would like to try constructing their own instruments.

A web-site of interest to telescope makers is: http://www.atmpage.com/. The is a more general telescope making site, which includes a long list of links to other telescope-making and CCD sites along with various sales items.