Outreach News

Published in the RSAA Lunations
Vol1 Issue69 1–28 February 2026

As students return to school, and the holidays finish, that is when outreach picks up speed for us.

Despite students only getting back into the classroom at the beginning of the month, we already have had 10 school groups with about 400 students visiting. The weather has been either really clear, or really cloudy, so the team has done a great job adapting to whatever the weather has thrown at them.

We also have had heaps of private nights, and with bookings now available 6 months in advance, we are seeing heaps of people book in sessions throughout the year.

The team was also at the Canberra Show on a hot 35 degree Saturday – looking at the Sun and launching rockets for kids.  It is a great initiative by Inspiring Australia -ACT to get out there and interact with tons of families.

The Enlighten Festival also starts at the end of February and for the third year, the observatory will be a location.  On Friday 27 February and Saturday 28 February, and the following weekend of 6 and 7 March, the 74”, Yale-Columbia, and Director’s Residence Garage will be lit up with projections done by students at the School of Art as part of a course.  Last year saw thousands of people per night, and we are hoping for big crowds again this year!

There is also a Total Lunar Eclipse on Tuesday the 3rd.  The timings for Canberra are:
Partial Eclipse begins 8:50 pm
Full Eclipse begins    10:04 pm
Maximum Eclipse 10:33 pm
Full Eclipse ends 11:03 pm

We will be out-front Parliament House for a stargazing session with them. Hopefully the weather cooperates!

Finally, our Public Astronomy Night dates for 2026 are:
24 April
22 May
19 June
17 July,
21 August
18 September

We will also continue our partnerships with Lanyon Homestead as well as Thredbo.

It will be another busy year!

Image: Enlighten Festival at Stromlo in 2025