Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
Where are the sessions held?
Serpentine Park, Happy Valley, South Australia 5159. Enter from Candy Road (the smaller eastern car park).
Where are the sessions held?
Serpentine Park, Happy Valley, South Australia 5159. Enter from Candy Road (the smaller eastern car park).
What can I expect to see?
South Australia has some amazing dark skies! Even in the suburbs we can easily see cloud bands on Jupiter and the rings of Saturn. The moon is always a great target. Some bright nebula are easily seen along with open and globular star clusters.
Visual vs Photographic viewing. Often colour is lacking in visual astronomy. For example, a bright nebula may appear as a grey cloud across the stars. That same nebula in a photograph (actually, many photographs stacked together) will transform with glowing gas clouds of colour! In our opinion, there is nothing like viewing objects with the naked eye but we have an astrograph (camera telescope) on hand to grab those stunning images for you. Due to the ability to take long exposure photographs the astrograph can also see some objects that are just not possible to view with the standard telescope. This combination of tools allows us to view many different targets.
We will guide you through the top targets for your particular session. These are carefully chosen to produce the best results on the night. We also take special requests if you have something you particularly want to see or try some more challenging targets if you wish.
When is the best time to book?
There is something to see all year round. However, there are seasons for some items (at a particular time of night). For example Jupiter and Saturn are much loved targets and generally available October to January at our location and early evening viewing times.
What should I bring on the night?
- A warm jacket. Even in summer it can be surprisingly cold as the night creeps in.
- Insect repellent. Rarely needed but worth having on hand for those warm, still nights in the park.
- A bottle of water
Are there toilet facilities at Serpentine Park?
There are public toilets on the north side of the park. These are often open but are not guaranteed to be available. The viewing sessions last for an hour, please plan accordingly.
Are children welcome at the sessions?
We welcome children aged 10+. This is chiefly due to the minimum height we can set the equipment as well as the fragility/expense of the equipment involved.
Weather Policy
Sessions are weather dependent and particularly sensitive to cloud and wind. Cloud forecasts are very inaccurate, we will monitor the forecast ahead of time and make a decision on whether the session will go ahead by 6pm at the latest. You will ne notified by phone or text message if the session will not proceed on that night.
Do you sell Gift Vouchers?
Yes! Gift vouchers are very popular and can be purchased here. Note: Our gift vouchers have no expiry.
South Australia has some amazing dark skies! Even in the suburbs we can easily see cloud bands on Jupiter and the rings of Saturn. The moon is always a great target. Some bright nebula are easily seen along with open and globular star clusters.
Visual vs Photographic viewing. Often colour is lacking in visual astronomy. For example, a bright nebula may appear as a grey cloud across the stars. That same nebula in a photograph (actually, many photographs stacked together) will transform with glowing gas clouds of colour! In our opinion, there is nothing like viewing objects with the naked eye but we have an astrograph (camera telescope) on hand to grab those stunning images for you. Due to the ability to take long exposure photographs the astrograph can also see some objects that are just not possible to view with the standard telescope. This combination of tools allows us to view many different targets.
We will guide you through the top targets for your particular session. These are carefully chosen to produce the best results on the night. We also take special requests if you have something you particularly want to see or try some more challenging targets if you wish.
When is the best time to book?
There is something to see all year round. However, there are seasons for some items (at a particular time of night). For example Jupiter and Saturn are much loved targets and generally available October to January at our location and early evening viewing times.
What should I bring on the night?
- A warm jacket. Even in summer it can be surprisingly cold as the night creeps in.
- Insect repellent. Rarely needed but worth having on hand for those warm, still nights in the park.
- A bottle of water
Are there toilet facilities at Serpentine Park?
There are public toilets on the north side of the park. These are often open but are not guaranteed to be available. The viewing sessions last for an hour, please plan accordingly.
Are children welcome at the sessions?
We welcome children aged 10+. This is chiefly due to the minimum height we can set the equipment as well as the fragility/expense of the equipment involved.
Weather Policy
Sessions are weather dependent and particularly sensitive to cloud and wind. Cloud forecasts are very inaccurate, we will monitor the forecast ahead of time and make a decision on whether the session will go ahead by 6pm at the latest. You will ne notified by phone or text message if the session will not proceed on that night.
Do you sell Gift Vouchers?
Yes! Gift vouchers are very popular and can be purchased here. Note: Our gift vouchers have no expiry.