Science Week 2022

Stargazing over Charlton

​Perfect clear skies and a still night accompanied the Charlton Neighbourhood Houses National Science Weeks Stargazing Evening on Saturday August 20. Over 30 Charlton residents took advantage of a visit by three members of Bendigo’s Astronomical Society of Victoria, and their amazing telescopes. With support from the Royal Society of Victoria, whose charter is to promote scientific knowledge for the benefit of Victorians, all those attending were amazed at what was able to be experienced.
Firstly, it was wonderful to be able to see a large number of satellites passing across the Charlton sky with the naked eye. People were then given a brief explananation about what could be seen and details on the Milky Way and some of the constellations. The telescopes then homed in on a range of planets such as Saturn, with its rings, and its moon Titan, Jupiter, and star clusters such as 47 Tucanare and Omega Centauri. The light from these stars will have been travelling through the universe for hundreds, thousands, and in some cases millions of years before reaching us.
Many people took advantage of downloading free APPS onto the mobile phones to identify what objects could be seen, and how many star signs such as Pisces and Sagittarius are formed; the Southern Cross also being clearly identified. There were many requests for further similar events in the future and the guest presenters were very impressed by the amount of interest shown by all those attending.