Stardust Junior Astronomy Club Dates and Topics for 2022 

~ Have you ever wanted to learn about the amazing universe that you live in ~
Then come along to Runaway Bay Library’s astronomy club for juniors
(Aged between 6 to 12 years old) 

Presented by Noeleen Lowndes (Life Member)
 Southern Astronomical Society (Gold Coast) http://sas.org.au

~ ​Stardust Junior Astronomy Club dates for 2022 ~
​

​~ Hi Stardust Junior Astronomers ~
​
​ ~ Send Your Name to the Moon with Artemis 1 mission to the Moon ~
​(March 29th 2022)

Artemis 1 (Fly your name around the Moon)

Artemis I will be the first uncrewed flight test of the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft.
​The flight paves the way toward landing the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon!

Add your name here to have it included on a flash drive that will fly aboard Artemis I. 
https://www.nasa.gov/send-your-name-with-artemis/

All eyes will be on the historic Launch Complex 39B when Orion and the Space Launch System (SLS) lift off for the first time from NASA's modernized Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The mission will demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond.

Artemis I will be the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to build a long-term human presence at the Moon for decades to come.

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1

---

Our club's name is going to the Moon and so can you :-)

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope #UnfoldTheUniverse Art Challenge

Hi Stardust junior astronomers, would you like to create some wonderful art of what the new James West Space Telescope
​is going to see out there in the Universe?
 
Please see all the details below and we'll look forward to seeing all your incredible pictures :-)

NASA’s biggest and most powerful space telescope ever is launching soon! The James Webb Space Telescope, or Webb, will travel a million miles away to reveal the universe as never seen before. It will look at the first stars and galaxies, study distant planets around other stars, solve mysteries in our solar system and discover what we can’t even imagine.
​Its revolutionary technology will be able to look back in time at 13.5 billion years of our cosmic history.
 
What do you think we’ll discover when we #UnfoldTheUniverse? Show us what you believe the Webb telescope will reveal by creating art. You can draw, paint, sing, write, dance — the universe is the limit! Share a picture or video of you and your creation with the hashtag #UnfoldTheUniverse for a chance to be featured on NASA’s website, social media channels, and the Webb telescope's historic launch broadcast.
 
To view some of the submitted art got to link below:
https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/features/jwstArt/unfoldTheUniverse.html
 
~ NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Mission Website ~
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/webb/main/index.html

​~ Stardust Junior Astronomy Club dates for 2021 ~

​~ A message from Noeleen ~

Hi Stardust kids :-)
 
I have really missed you all so much, but unfortunately the Covid restrictions are still in place at all the Gold Coast Libraries and we are unable to have our meetings. As soon as I know any more information I’ll post the details here, I hope you have all been looking at the night sky and learning lots about our amazing universe.
 
~ 18th February 2021 ~
NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover has now landed safely on the surface of Mars after a seven-month journey from Earth and it’s all so exciting!!!
 
Please go to the Mars Perseverance website to find out all about it at:
​ https://www.nasa.gov/perseverance
 
Remember when you ‘Sent your name to Mars’ you can check for your Mars certificate and print it off again, just put your name into the field box at the link: https://mars.nasa.gov/participate/send-your-name/mars2020/

Below is a picture of where our names are on the Rover, which is now on the surface of Mars….
How exciting is that, our names are on Mars, WooHoo!!!

Yes, that is the real Mars!!!

Nearly 11 million names of Earthlings are on Mars Perseverance and the story is at:
https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8872/nearly-11-million-names-of-earthlings-are-on-mars-perseverance/
​
Now lets go exploring with the spacecraft :-)
https://mars.nasa.gov/participate/funzone/
 
Download and colour in a Mars Ingenuity Helicopter while Teddy Tzanetos a robotics technologist from the Mars helicopter team colours in the sheet along with you at: https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/coloring-pages/en/
​

​​Stardust Junior Astronomy Club dates for 2020

PLEASE NOTE: Due to all the Gold Coast City libraries being closed because of the Corona virus there will be no Stardust Club for many months.
 
Please still enjoy the wonderful night sky in your own garden and go to NASA’s Space Place website to find some fun space activities at: https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/
 
To download a Star map for the Southern Hemisphere, go to the Skymaps.com website at:
​ http://www.skymaps.com/downloads.html
 
Please keep safe and well and I’ll see you all again soon, Happy Stargazing, Noeleen :-)

~ Happy Birthday Stardust Junior Astronomy Club ~

Thursday 6th February 2020
Topic – To The Moon & Back
Lets have fun at the library today and imagine going to the Moon
Just like the NASA’s Apollo astronauts did many years ago :-)
 
Thursday 5th March 2020 (6pm to 7.00pm)
*** Special Lunar Event for Stardust Children  ***
Lets have a look at the real Moon through a large telescope
(Viewing outside the library…please bring along your own telescopes too)
 
Thursday 2nd April 2020
~ No Stardust Club today as Noeleen is away overseas ~
 
Thursday 7th May 2020 (It’s our 9th Birthday Party)
~ Lets have an ‘Out of this World’ Space Party ~
Please bring along a plate of food to share 
And lets make a cosmic space rock to take home…Wow!

​~ WooHoo…Star Wars Fleet visits the ringed planet Saturn ~

What a lot of fun we had today, Saturn is feeling very lonely because the Cassini spacecraft is not there anymore taking pictures and exploring.
 
So the earthing children from the Stardust Junior Astronomy Club have sent their Star War Fleet to visit Saturn and have some exciting fun!
 
~ Please enjoy their pictures because they had lots of fun drawing them and dressing up in there favourite Star Wars characters ~
 
Great work all you budding space explorers from Noeleen :-))
 
Unfortunately the Stardust Club cannot meet again at the library until further notice because of Covid-19, ‘May the force be with you all to stay safe and happy until we meet again’ warmest wishes to all the families, sincerely yours, Noeleen 

~ Stardust Dates Feb-May 2020 ~

~ Send Your Name to Mars on NASA’s new Mars 2020 mission ~
https://mars.nasa.gov/participate/send-your-name/mars2020/

NASA's Mars 2020 Rover is heading to the Red Planet. Submit your name by Sept. 30, 2019, 11:59 p.m. ET, and fly along!

​~ Wow…Stardust Kids loved learning all about Black Holes at the Stardust Club  ~

I don’t know what it is about black holes but children always love to learn all about them, they are mysterious and dangerous so I think that’s why they are so appealing. Mind you, after our exciting space session they know not to go too close to one them in their space rockets
or they won’t be coming home for dinner!

All the children had lots of fun doing some wonderful drawings of black holes.
Please credit the drawings to the children at the Runaway Bay Library 'Stardust Junior Astronomy Club' thank you, Noeleen Lowndes

~ Happy 8th Birthday Stardust Club April 2019 ~

~ Happy 8th Birthday Stardust Junior Astronomy Club ~

Stardust dates to April 2019

~ Stardust Dates to June 2019 ~

~ Stardust Dates to September 2019 ~

~ Stardust Junior Astronomy Club's *STAR* Christmas Party 6th December 2018 ~

The Runaway Bay Library 'Stardust Club' is out of this world "FUN"

Fraser Smith is a *Star* at the Stardust Junior Astronomy Club 

It was a very exciting time late last month when the media contacted us for a story on the Super, Blue, Blood Moon to go into the newspapers. Chris Honnery a reporter from the Courier Mail contacted both Jenny and myself to do a story but he wanted to have a child with a telescope in the article.
Credit: Article by Chris Honnery from the Courier Mail (Brisbane)
 
In comes our star Fraser, who’s one of the Stardust children from my astronomy club at the Runaway Library, Fraser’s mum Bronwyn is one of our new members at SAS and she was very happy to give permission for her son to be in the article about this special lunar eclipse.
 
The whole process had to be done in just a couple of hours to meet the deadline for the paper, so Jenny quickly set up her telescope at her place and Julie supplied the SAS t-shirt (Yay!) with Bronwyn providing our budding junior astronomer ‘Fraser’…so great team work everyone!
 
At our Stardust astronomy session at the library on the 1st February, Fraser proudly showed off his picture that was in the newspaper and told the other children all about it, so now you are a little star Fraser :-)

~ Stardust Dates February to May 2018 ~

~ Stardust Dates June to August 2018

~ Stardust Dates to December 2018 ~

~ Stardust Junior Astronomy Club's Alien Christmas Party December 2017 ~

~ Goodbye to the Cassini Spacecraft ~

Please find below some lovely drawings that the children did from the Stardust Junior Astronomy Club to say Good-bye to this very special little spacecraft.
​
We loved all your pictures and discoveries that you made, thank you NASA, ESA and the Italian Space Agency for making such a wonderful mission for humankind : -)

Please credit the drawings to the children, thank you, Noeleen Lowndes :-)

~ Stardust Dates May - August 2017 ~

~ Stardust Dates October - December 2017 ~

~ Stardust Clubs 'Star Wars' 6th Birthday Party at the Runaway Bay Library ~

~ Stardust Dates March to May 2017 ~

~ Stardust Alien Day ~

~ Stardust Dates from June to August 2016 ~

~ Stardust Dates Dec 2016 to Feb 2017 ~

~ Stardust Dates Aug to Nov 2016 ~

Gold Coast City Libraries - Calendar of Events - August to September 2015
~ Stardust Junior Astronomy Club ~
https://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/library/default.html

~ Stardust 5th Birthday ~

~ Dates from Aug 2015 - Oct 2015 ~

~ Dates from Nov 2015 - Feb 2016 ~

~ Stardust Dates from March to May 2016 ~

~ We love little Pluto ~

~ New Horizons Arrives at Pluto on the 14th July 2015...Woohoo! ~

~ Stardust 4th Birthday Party April 2015 ~

~ Stardust Junior Astronomy Club Dates and Topics for 2014 ~

                                                                                      ~ Stardust Junior Astronomy Club ~

The Stardust Junior Astronomy Club has just celebrated its 3rd Birthday on the 3rd April 2014 where everyone enjoyed learning all about those incredible Black Holes. Please see more about the day in my Blog at:
http://www.mystardustobservatory.com/astro-blog/-stardust-junior-astronomy-club-celebrates-3rd-birthday

The Stardust club is all about the children having fun learning about astronomy and space and the sessions are held on the first Thursday of the month at the Runaway Bay Library on the Gold Coast...so come along and find out all about the wonders of your night sky :-)

~ Stardust celebrates NASA’s Sun-Earth Day 2013 ~ Learning all about our mighty star the Sun