~ TEDx Helensvale Library ~
Gold Coast Libraries are very excited to announce the release of seven TEDx Talks from our recent TEDx Helensvale Library event!
 
Seven stories from inspirational Gold Coast locals sharing their passions for architecture, ballet, circus, music, astronomy and social enterprise. Watch the videos now and be inspired to MAKE IT! 

The presenters on the night were:
(L Top) Karl Smith, Kristy Seymour, Noeleen Lowndes, Barry Lee, Nicolle Edwards,
Jordyn de Boer & Georgia Canning.

~ Starry Starry Night ~
Look up and discover your night sky
 
Noeleen talks about her love affair with the stars and the steps we can all take to discover more about our night sky. To find out more visit mystardustobservatory.com
 
Noeleen is president of the Southern Astronomical Society, having been a member for 22 years. She is an astrophotographer, astronomy and space educator, and is NASA’s Saturn Observation Campaign member in Australia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkaXnghax8c

Please go to my TEDx talk at the Helensvale Library Blog on the 2nd June 2017
​to read all about this wonderful event at:
http://www.mystardustobservatory.com/astro-blog/-tedx-talk-at-helensvale-library-2nd-june-2017

Our Australian group with the Mayor of St Joseph Mr Bill Falkner…Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi Oi Oi!! :-)

St Joseph Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/Eclipse2017inStJoMo/

~ The Great American Solar Eclipse of the Sun ~

​Wow, what a day it was at the St Joseph Rosecrans airport, where on the 21st August forty three very excited Aussie eclipse chasers waited for the skies to clear to witness the great American Total Eclipse of the Sun.
 
We left Kansas City for a 100 kms drive to St Joseph at 3.30am because of warnings about the traffic and we were lucky to have a clear run to the airport, because it was dark when we arrived I even got to see the constellation of Orion the right way up instead of upside down, like I see it here in Australia :-)
 
The skies became more cloudy as the morning progressed, but we had so much fun talking with all the media and giving lots of TV and radio interviews to explain what people would expect to see. We also made friends with a lot of the local people who were just amazed that we had travelled all the way from Australia to see the eclipse.
 
Just before first contact the skies become a lot more threatening and the local sheriff came along and told us that a storm cell with hail was about to hit, so for a little while we took cover but kept a watchful eye on the sky.
 
Because of the weather we missed the partials, but we kept telling everyone not too worry as they would still experience the amazing darkness of totality, and just a few seconds before the Sun was eclipsed it began…
 
It grew dark quite quickly with an eerie bright golden light all around the horizon and because of the cloud it got very dark, a group of little songbirds darted all over the sky not knowing where to go. We were all scanning the cloudy sky just hoping for a break in the clouds when all of a sudden we heard this mighty roar come from the other field, everyone over there had seen something, it was like being at a soccer match, it was just incredible!!!
 
We knew that they had seen something but the sky was still cloudy, and then it was our turn, a small break in the cloud and there it was, the total eclipse of the Sun in all its glory with its beautiful corona….Wow!
 
It only lasted about 5 seconds before the clouds started to roll in again…but Wow, we had all seen it, and everyone on the field was just in awe from the whole experience!
 
In the end because of the weather, both my husband and I just quickly grabbed our cameras and on video mode captured the whole event.
 
Please see some images below of our amazing day, I know it wasn’t clear, but the overwhelming changes in the environment around us still challenged all our senses just the same if not more, because it became a it became so much darker with the cloud… it was just awesome!!!

This amazing trip to the US was organised by the Sutherland Astronomical Society in NSW, we went all over American visiting the different space centres and also many of the historical observatories including the beautiful Griffith Observatory in LA, and it was a fantastic trip, I'll write more about it later....

Now, bring on USA 2024 for the next solar eclipse :-)

Our Australian group with the Mayor of St Joseph Mr Bill Falkner…Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi Oi Oi!! :-)

St Joseph Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/Eclipse2017inStJoMo/​

This total eclipse of the Sun will not be seen in Australia as the path of totality (the Moons shadow) runs right across the mainland of America.
 
So I have to go and chase it….
 
My husband and I will be at a place called St Joseph in Missouri and we’ll be experiencing nearly the maximum time of 2 minutes and 38 seconds of totality…Woohoo!!

You don't have to travel this far to see this amazing event as NASA is going to live stream the whole eclipse
(weather permitting)

Please see the links below and enjoy the experience :-)

NASA’s Total Eclipse live coverage on the 21st August 2017
Go to the website at: 
https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov
Go to the live streaming of the event at:
https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/eclipse-live-stream

I’ll be taking two DSLR cameras, which will be set up on static tripods. The first camera will be a Canon 70D with a Canon 100-400mm lens and a 2x converter making a variable focal length of between 320mm - 1280mm.
 
The other camera will be a Canon 700D with a Canon 17-85mm wider field lens, so I can capture the whole viewing area and sky…I’ll take some video and some time-lapse with this camera.
 
I’ve also got one of those tiny action camera’s that I’m going to just let run on it’s own to pick up anything that’s happening around us.
 
This is my second total solar eclipse, so I feel more confident now with my times so I can take a bit of time to just look up and enjoy the event :-)

I’m really hoping to capture some wonderful images of this eclipse in the US, like I did for our amazing
Australian Total Eclipse of the Sun that happened here on the 14th November 2012.
 
 Please see some images below that I took on the day at Ellis Beach just north of Cairns.
We were ever so lucky with the weather because it was so cloudy before totality!
 
Please go to my blog with more information on the Australian total solar eclipse day  :-)
http://www.mystardustobservatory.com/astro-blog/total-eclipse-of-the-sun-in-australia-2012

Author
Tanya Hill
Honorary Fellow of the University of Melbourne and Senior Curator (Astronomy), Museum Victoria

​Tanya Hill wrote an excellent article for ‘The Conversation’ explaining all about solar eclipses, she also used my award-winning image of the rare Annular eclipse that happened in central Australia in May 2013.

Please go to the article with the link or download the file which is below:
http://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-a-solar-eclipse-33019

Total Eclipse of the Sun
November 14th 2012 near Cairns in Australia.

‘WOW’ what a truly amazing experience it was to witness my first total eclipse of the Sun. My husband Graham who is not into astronomy at all was just blown away by it all too…

It all nearly did not happen because for 50 minutes of the eclipse we had clouds continually rolling down from the mountains behind us and out into the sea.

Our setting at Ellis Beach was just perfect, a beautiful sweeping beach with overhanging coconut trees and the expected sun rising between a pretty shaped double island out at sea and the headland…very picturesque indeed.

But in reality what was happening was a rising king tide that would come right up to the coconut trees and huge amounts of clouds rolling over the mountain and down into the sea just where the Sun was to rise...very nerve wrecking indeed!

I had my telescope set up on a tiny patch of sand that had survived the last high tide hoping it would hold out long enough until the eclipse had ended before it would all end up being washed into the sea, taking my telescope and me with it!

I was with fellow members from SAS and a few of them just could not stand the pressure of waiting any more for the clouds to clear, so they packed up and headed for the hills…but I stayed put and decided what ever would be…would be.

As it turned out 10 minutes before totality there was a slight parting in the clouds and Yippee, it started to happen and unfold to the utter delight and thrill of everybody on the beach.

A remarkable thing happened when the Sun first broke through the clouds and we first saw the eclipsed Sun, a kookaburra sang his song in a tree behind us…he stole that moment and it will always be in my memory. He knew something was happening as they only sing to herald the rising sun at dawn and sunset at night…that was just so surreal and truly beautiful.

I was also mesmerised and distracted by the strange light that come upon us just before totality and actually took my eyes away from the telescope to look around, it was so very bright and of a clear yellow hue, then this rush of air come from over the hills…I was truly in tuned to all these things happening around me and then the light got dimmer and dimmer on the shimmering water and Pow!!! There was totality…everybody was awed. In these moments I forgot to take the solar filters off the telescope, but I took the time to just look at the magnificent spectacle before me, then got to work taking some images with only a few seconds left of totality, how quickly 2 minutes goes…what an awesome experience!!!!

I now know why so many people chase these eclipses all over the world, what a wondrous sight to see, and you really have to see one as nothing else compares or captures the atmosphere of this most remarkable spectacle.

Please find below a college of some my images taken of this most awesome celestial event.

Whatever you do in your life, please try and see a Total Eclipse of the Sun!
It’s just so awe inspiring :-)

What a wonderful way to start my first blog then with a Total Eclipse of the Sun :-)

I’m writing this blog because everybody knows the excitement of preparing for a special event before its about to happen, that great rush of expectation of what your about to see and experience, it’s such an unreal feeling and I have it right now :-))

With an event like a Total Eclipse of the Sun it’s the weather that is boss on the day if that does not play its part, nobody gets to see this amazing spectacle…so all of us astronomers will be watching breathlessly as the Sun rises from the ocean’s horizon at 5.40am on the morning of the 14th November.

A Total Eclipse of the Sun is a perfect alignment between the Earth, Moon and Sun producing an awesome phenomenon where our Moon will completely cover the Suns surface. By an incredible coincidence the Moon is 400 times smaller than the Sun, and the Sun is 400 times further away…so the Moon can cover it perfectly…amazing isn’t it!

It’s said by those that have witnessed a Total Eclipse, that it’s the most wondrous celestial event in all of nature…I can’t wait to experience it too and I will share my images with you.

What will I be using on the day… I’ll be taking images through my Meade 8 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope with an f6.3 focal reducer (that will make the Moon smaller in the field of view) and using my Canon 40D camera to capture the images. There will be a Thousand Oaks solar filter attached to the front lens of the telescope and also another solar filter on the finder scope.
Looking at the Sun is very dangerous only look if there are Solar Filters 
On all viewing equipment.

I’ll also have my video camera attached to the top of the telescope with a solar filter fitted on the lens and I’ll just let it run for the whole time…must remember to take the solar filter off during Totality!!! There will also be another camera on a tripod with a 100-400mm lens to get wider field images of the Corona during Totality to try and capture the Solar Chromosphere and Prominences.

How long does everybody have to capture the whole event, we will have a leisurely one hour to take pictures of the Moon eclipsing the solar disc then, at approximately 6.40am the main spectacular event will happen ‘Totality’ we have just 2 minutes to capture the incredible event. Yes, just 2 minutes and this is a long one!

Two minutes to get everything right, exposures times, apertures, ISO’s and most importantly try to enjoy the amazing spectacle. Then another hour will past as the Moon slowly glides away from the surface of the Sun. 

If you would like to view a live web cast of the event please go to the following web pages: 

NASA’s Sun-Earth Day web site: http://venustransit.nasa.gov/2012eclipse/

Cairns Tourism web site: http://eclipse2012.org.au/

Southern Astronomical Society (Gold Coast) www.sas.org.au

If all goes well you’ll be seeing lots of beautiful images on my blog, if not…well that’s life, 
the main thing is I tried… Noeleen :-)