Schools and Clubs Astronomy Nights

LVAS runs astronomy nights for schools and clubs. We can provide telescopes for viewing, including our Society's 40 cm dobsonian telescope and members' scopes, and we can run slide shows and talks on astronomy or telescopes. A typical night might be a quick introduciton to the night sky and telescopes, then viewing if it is clear, or a slide show if not. However, we are happy - indeed prefer - to work with schools to produce a night tailored to their program.

When to run a night ? We are happy to be contacted by email or phone to discuss this, but here are a few ideas...

• Consider the weather. While anything might happen, particularly around Gippsland, later summer, autumn, and even early winter tend to be less cloudy.
• When will it get dark ? If younger students have to be home by 8 pm, running a night in daylight savings is likely to be a problem! It does not get reasonably dark until at least an hour after sunset.
• What is the moon doing ? The best time to run a general observing night is from a few days after new moon until first quarter. That is the best time for viewing the moon (not full moon, as you might think), and also the moon is not so bright that it "floods out" everything else. For real "deep sky" viewing, no moon is best - from a few days after full moon until new moon.
• What planets are up ? The planets are 'up' at different times during the year, and this varies from year to year. So unless you have an almanac, it might be best to ask us about this. However, there is a brief guide below.

Fees

We do not formally charge for these nights, but appreciate a donation. Many schools find it easiest to take up a "gold coin" donation on the night. However, if we are asked to travel significantly outside the Latrobe Valley, we request a contribution to our travelling expenses as well. This is the only case in which money is reimbursed to members - otherwise donations go back to the society, and are used primarily to purchase and maintain the equipment needed to run the events. Donations from nights like these contributed materially to the purchase of our largest society telescope, our 40 cm dobsonian, and it is unlikely we could have afforded that telescope otherwise.