The Adelaide Supernovas

SUPERNOVA SNIPPET: Australia’s largest optical telescope is the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT). It is a massive 3.9-metre (153-inch) reflecting telescope situated at the Siding Spring Observatory in the Warrumbungle Mountains near Coonabarabran, New South Wales.

Student Astronomer Identifies Source of Mysterious Cosmic Signals An international team led by astronomers at the University of Sydney has uncovered the clearest evidence yet for the origin of an unusual class of cosmic signals. In doing so, they have identified a rare stellar system that is providing scientists with a natural laboratory to study extreme physics.

​​Most detailed map of the Universe’s hidden magnetic fields released ​Scientists have produced a map of the Universe’s magnetic fields revealing an invisible cosmic web that shapes how galaxies form and evolve.

From Apollo to Artemis: Australia's Moon tracking capabilites Australian facilities and expertise have supported NASA’s Moon missions from the earliest lunar probes to the Artemis program. Explore with our interactive image gallery the first to the latest Aussie space tracking capabilities.

From Paul Curnow: "Hi Folks, the planets Venus & Jupiter are making quite a stunning sight in our skies at the moment. If you go out over the next few nights, just after sunset, you will see the two planets positioned closely together towards the north-west low in the sky, separated by only 1.6° tonight. Venus is a hellish world with surface temperatures hovering around 480.C, so hot that tin and lead would melt! And Jupiter is the largest planet in our Solar System with a current count of 115-moons!"

SUPERNOVA SNIPPET: On this day in 2014 – Australian astronomer Bill Bradfield, who was the 20th Century's foremost visual comet hunter died.

Sadly, American astronomer Alan Hale has passed away. He is best known for being the co-discoverer of Comet Hale-Bopp in 1995, but some of his more significant astronomical accomplishments were submitting visual observations of more than 500 individual comets. Many Supernova members will fondly remember his visit with us back in 2019, and a visit to the 'Aboriginal Cosmos' course being run that year. Our sincere condolences go out to his family. He will be sadly missed by all.

SUPERNOVA FLASHBACK: It was June 2012 and Supernovas flocked to the Adelaide Festival Plaza to witness the last visible transit of the planet Venus across the face of the Sun (for most of us). The next visible transit will be in December 2117! Our members and other science enthusiasts had set-up telescopes and the public and media were there in force. One of the great science events of the century! (images courtesy: Ashley Starkey, Gail Glasper, & Paul Curnow).