Welcome to the Astronomical Society of South Australia

Out past the main asteroid belt lies the realm of the giant planets. This month we find out how the four gas planets formed and become so large. We will also look at their internal structure and explore the different ring systems circling each of these worlds.

This talk will document the story of the development of the Leon Mow Dark Sky Site in Victoria, talking about the building program which has ended up with a huge improvement in the facilities for the Astronomical Society of Victoria's members. What started out as a plan for some Atco huts for accommodation ended up as proper buildings, a large roll of roof Observatory, a 40-inch Dobsonian telescope and a radio telescope dish.

The Solar System is home to over 100 moons and thousands of asteroids. We will explore some of the major satellites and minor planets and look at the various asteroid belts and populations.

The $160m Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope is nearing completion in Western Australia. One of the key projects driving it is EMU - the Evolutionary Map of the Universe - which has an ambitious goal of studying the sky at radio wavelengths in unprecedented detail, boldly going where no telescope has gone before. Our scientific goal is to figure out how galaxies evolved in the early days of the Universe and how they evolve to the Universe we see today, with stars, planets, rocks, trees, and astronomers. Presented by Prof Ray Norris.