A Short Course in Astronomy

Next Course In 2023, rather than run a formal "course", we are planning a series of less formal nights at the Wirilda Education Centre starting in March or early April If you are interested, please contact us or subscribe to our associates news Google Map

LVAS runs an "on demand" short course in astronomy. Its usual form consists of three "core" nights, followed by optional nights according to the interests of the group.

The three core nights have the following topics:

1. Finding your way around the sky. (This is run on the first clear night)
   • Introduction to star charts (etc)
   • How the stars and planets move (as seen from earth)
   • Finding your way around the constellations
   • Finding a few of the best objects with binoculars
   • Quick introduction to "planetarium" software.  (Particularly if we don't get a clear night in the first three)
2. A tour of the universe
   Staring from the earth, we move outwards, looking at the sort of objects we find. We consider what they are, what they look like (best pictures available), what they look like through an amateur telescope, and how we might best go about observing them.
   Objects include:
   • Planets and moons
   • The sun
   • Asteroids, minor planets and the like
   • Comets
   • Stars
   • Star clusters
   • Nebulae (gas and dust clouds)
   • Galaxies
   • other "exotic" objects
3. Introduction to telescopes
   • The different kinds of telescopes and how they work
   • Best kinds for viewing different objects
   • Operation

• Introduction to astrophotography
• Variable stars
• Polar alignment
• Collimation
• Astronomy software

Cost: $15 to non-members, free to members.

If you are interested in this course, please contact us. When we have sufficient interest, we will discuss convenient dates and times with prospective participants. We can also tailor the program to suit the group