From stargazing tours to DIY adventures and amateur astronomy clubs, the Blue Mountains has many options for exploring the night sky. (Photo: Liam Foster)
By Linda Moon
Taken for granted, the night sky is integral to the health of the whole natural world, including our own health and wellbeing. Local Blue Mountains astronomy groups are helping us rediscover and protect it from light pollution.
Key Points:
The Blue Mountains is one of the best locations for stargazing and astronomy close to Sydney.
Darkness is critical to environmental and human health but dark skies are diminishing due to human activities. There are things you can do to make a difference.
Local astronomy groups with support from Blue Mountains City Council are working to establish a Dark Sky Park in Linden.
I’m standing in a dark field in the country. My eyeball, pressed to a telescope, is focused on a shining orb with a dazzling halo suspended in the vast velvety blackness of space.
“Whoah!” It’s one of those moments when the English language fails.
Blue Mountains Astronomical Club
Behind me, voices crawl out of the darkness. The shadowy shapes of the Blue Mountains Astronomical Club (it’s their first public open night) shift from one big telescope to another.
In astronomy – as in photography – it’s all about the gear and epic subject matter. Tonight, the club members are freely sharing it with my family. The Tarantula Nebula. Close-ups of craters of the moon. Jupiter. Sirius. Distant galaxies. Better than Netflix, there’s something deeply connected and palpably real about a bunch of humans sharing the dark and the wonders of creation.
“It makes you wonder what the point of all this [outer space] is,” muses Jason, owner of the scope I’ve been peering through. I can’t see his face. At 9.30pm, Hampton is a dark place.
In a moment reminiscent of Star Trek, Alexander Massey (the club’s founder and a natural educator) shoots a laser beam at the heavens. For our benefit, he traces out the shapes of the constellations. The beam darts over to cloudy clusters of stars. The nearest to Earth is the Andromeda Galaxy. Even so, it’s around 160,000 light years away, Alexander says. Using the analogy of jumping in your car and hitting the hyperdrive button, he says “it will take 160,000 years to get there.”
Blue Mountains Astronomical Club enjoying a night out with the stars. (Photo: Alexander Massey)
Magic and mystery of the night sky
Clustered around Nick’s telescope, the group is thrilled about the Great Red Spot. The most famous feature of Jupiter, it’s a persistent gigantic storm (the biggest in the solar system) that’s been raging over the surface of the planet for centuries, Alexander says.
Another boon of the night is the shadow transit of an eclipse on Jupiter. “Seeing the Great Red Spot during an open night, and then to see a shadow transit of an eclipse, that’s like winning the lottery,” Alexander enthuses.
Peering through the telescope, I’m besotted by two moons hovering around the planet. Over 146 moons have been identified in Jupiter’s orbit. Multiple planetary moons are common in outer space, Alexander reveals: one of many tantalising astro tidbits.
Dark skies of the Blue Mountains
Ironically, Alexander lives in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. “The best skies are away from the city,” he explains. “You’re forever fighting conditions.” This includes air and light pollution, mist and dew (which fogs up optics).
Researching micro-climates years ago led the club to a site in Katoomba.
But suitable dark, accessible sites are literally shrinking, he says. Growing light pollution and unavailability of the Katoomba site, have meant the club have moved their activities to Hampton.
“On nights when there is no mist, the prevailing conditions are bone dry, extremely transparent sky and outstandingly good for astronomy.” – Alexander Massey.
Linden Observatory is the biggest publicly accessible telescope in NSW. (Photo: Linden Observatory)
Linden Observatory
Also concerned about preserving the Blue Mountains night sky is Ian Bridges, a trustee of Linden Observatory. The observatory, established in the 1940s, is a heritage and educational site. Crucially, it has the largest publicly accessible telescope in NSW, he says.
Historically a dark place – it’s located on a plateau bound by national park on 40 hectares of land – light from Sydney is a growing problem for the observatory. It’s additionally been affected by flight paths.
Aircraft have bright navigation lights, but a bigger problem is turbulence, Ian says. Astronomy relies on what’s known as good ‘seeing’ conditions. Essentially, this is about a stable atmosphere: “When things don’t move you can see more detail.”
Aircraft form turbulence and also contrails which can disrupt seeing conditions and visibility over very large areas, he says. The effects of a plane flying past can last for hours afterwards.
On the upside, the local community is taking action.
Advocacy for the skies
“Blue Mountains City Council is supporting efforts to have Linden recognised as Australia’s first Dark Sky Community” – Ian Bridges.
“More efficient lighting would start to give the stars back to people,” Ian says. He’s met school kids from Sydney who’ve never seen the Milky Way before.
The night sky is something we take for granted until it’s taken away. “It’s part of our long-term heritage as humans on the planet,” Ian says. “It’s tied up with our creation stories. There are so many stories about the constellations and mythology around it, the zodiac and the gods, and in indigenous astronomy; the Dark Emu.
“To be losing that in modern times because of technology, it’s just another way that people get out of touch with nature.”
Linden Observatory, an advocate for the Dark Sky Movement. (Photo: Linden Observatory)
Growing light pollution
Local astronomer and co-founder of Blue Mountains Stargazing, Dimitri Douchin, is another Dark Sky advocate.
“Darkness is essential to the circadian rhythms of humans and other life forms, biodiversity and ecology.” – Dimitri Douchin.
Light pollution can disrupt migratory patterns, reproduction, plant cycles and more. Dimitri cites the example of the native Bogong Moth whose migration has been impacted by light pollution.
A growing body of research shows light exposure at night is linked to human health risks including poorer sleep and cancer. Lighting at night also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.
“Light pollution is the fastest growing pollutant in the world, and increasing by almost 10 per cent each year.” – Australasian Dark Sky Alliance.
Which means a dark night sky could be a thing of the past for much of the world.
“We’re losing the fainter stars and we’re losing some of the star patterns,” Dimitri says. Satellites contribute to the problem as well and create new phenomena that may be puzzling or even frightening to remote communities, he says.
“The sky is an integral part of the culture, as is the landscape. If you dig out a mountain, then you’ve lost that landscape. If you do the same with the sky, if you send too many satellites, the sky is brightening and you lose some of the culture.”
Astronomer Dimitri Douchin showing off the stars in the Blue Mountains. (Photo: Tourism Australia)
Blue Mountains Stargazing scores award
Dimitri, an adjunct researcher in cultural astronomy at Western Sydney University, reminds us that the night sky is the basis of meaning and calendars in all cultures. “The sky is a mirror to our identity. Every culture in the world has put meaning or stories into the sky.”
As dark skies are becoming more rare, more people are curious to see them, he says. His awarded tours (Blue Mountains Stargazing won Bronze for the NSW Tourism Award in the Tour Operator Category 2023) showcase the wonders of the heavens to many. This includes people from Asia who’ve never seen a starry sky.
“For me, it’s about feeling alive,” he says.
“When we see a starry night we become children again. We’re in awe; we have that sense of connectedness and togetherness where the focus point is not a TV.” – Dimitri Douchin
“Everybody has a personal relationship with the sky. And that’s what makes it so global to everybody.” added Dimitri.
Saturn is currently on show. The magical world of astronomy and stargazing:– a thing in the Blue Mountains. (Photo: Alexander Massey)
Where to go stargazing in the Blue Mountains
“You don’t need a telescope. Binoculars are fantastic astro-tools. I also recommend an app called Skysafari.” – Alexander Massey
Blue Mountains Stargazing
Astronomer led tours including storytelling, the use of lasers to identify constellations, and the chance to peer into a telescope, run every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Wentworth Falls picnic area. Gift vouchers and high-end tours are also available.
Monthly public viewing nights (soon to expand to more often) run by Western Sydney Amateur Astronomy Group for a small contribution of $10 towards upkeep of the site.
Light only the area you need, using the lowest intensity you can, and avoiding light spill by shielding with curtains, etc. Choose downward facing light and (if you need outdoor lighting): sensor lighting. Use warmer red-spectrum lighting over blue-spectrum light. The latter has a worse impact on wildlife and human health at night.
This story has been produced as part of a Bioregional Collaboration for Planetary Health and is supported by the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (DRRF). The DRRF is jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments.
Global poisoning by a tsunami of toxins that are flooding the planet is fast becoming the biggest threat to life on earth. Extreme weather events like fire and flood accelerate this chemical pollution. To address this the Planetary Health Centre`s Full Cycle 2025 conference from 20-22 Nov is bringing together leading experts in managing extreme weather events as well as those who are working on reducing the risk of hazardous materials like asbestos and PFAS. According to keynote speaker Julian Cribb:
"The poisoning of our planet through human chemical emissions is arguably the largest human impact of all upon the Earth. In volume, it is four to five times greater than our climate emissions (which are a part of it), and three times more lethal than the estimated climate death-toll. It is the mega-threat least understood by society, monitored by science or regulated by government. It has mainly occurred over the last 50 years, due to a massive global surge in chemical use and materials extraction.
Scientific assessment has identified more than 350,000 man-made chemicals. The US Department of Health estimates 2000 new chemicals go on the market every year and the Smithsonian says 1000 new compounds are now being synthesised every hour. The UN Environment Program warns about a third of these “are persistent, able to accumulate in humans and animals and are toxic”.
The World Health Organisation estimates that 13.7 million people — one in every four — die each year from diseases caused by “air, water and soil pollution, chemical exposures, climate change and ultraviolet radiation”, caused by human activity.
Human chemical emissions are thus responsible for the largest mass killing in history.
Learn more and register for the conference here (link in profile): www.fullcycleconference.com.au
There will be a free community expo on Saturday 22 November at the Planetary Health Centre in Katoomba.
Conference volunteers receive free registration. Email [email protected] if you’d like to volunteer at this critically important event.
T`ai-chi and Qigong routines can increase mobility and strength, improve immunity and help build an inner calm. To get the greatest health impact you need to practice them on a regular basis, so we`re thrilled to now be offering a 6-week block of classes to take you into summer starting 9am this Saturday 1 November and running until Sat 6 December. Bookings essential here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/4qrw4Nx This Saturday, 1 November, the activity is also the first in a full day of Skill Share activities at the Centre that includes Seed Saving and Gardening from 10am, and Planetary Health Bushcare from 1.30pm. You can book in for Bushcare here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/49k8PPo Contact Lis on 0407 437 553 for more information.
Rotarians 4 Planetary Health will be meeting again at the Planetary Health Centre at 6pm on Monday 27 October. Register at this link if you`d like to attend! (link in profile) https://events.humanitix.com/rotarians-4-planetary-health-l7bb4qhr?
Thank you to everyone who popped by for the @ediblegardentrailbluemountains today! It was a great day discussing gardens, ponds, frogs, seeds, composting seats, wicking beds and how to restore the hydrological cycle! Next Saturday will be our Skill Share Saturday. We`ll be kickstarting a 6-week block of Tai Chi & Qigong at 9am, launching our Seed Saving and Gardening Group at 10am and running our monthly Bushcare Group at 1.30pm. You can book in for Tai Chi here (link in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/tai-chi-and-qigong-six-week-block-spring-2025-qaw2ts2v and to Bushcare here (link also in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/planetary-health-bushcare-spring-summer-2025
The Planetary Health Centre is on the Edible Garden Trail today! Last week we launched the Upper Mountains Seed Savers and Gardening Group. Come along to learn more, enjoy a coffee in our garden, and pick up a free Vegetable and Flower Sowing Guide. We`re open from 10am. You can find us at 33-39 Acacia St Katoomba. Tickets for the Edible Garden Trail available here (link in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/blue-mountains-edible-garden-trail-2025
The Planetary Health newsletter is now out. Read about three days of innovation at the upcoming Full Cycle Conference in Nov, the Edible Garden Trail this weekend, and a six week block of Tai Chi and Qigong classes at the Planetary Health Centre (link in profile): https://bit.ly/47jbFBz
Today is an Extreme Bushfire Danger Day! Have you heard about the extraordinary fire resistant paint developed by Professor Yeoh and his team at UNSW? Professor Yeoh will be presenting at our Full Cycle Conference on Thurs 20 November. He is world renowned in the field of fire safety and his innovations are helping to keep people and property safe. Importantly among these innovations has been the development and commercialisation of FSA FIRECOAT paint (sold at Bunnings), which creates a protective insulating ‘char’ on a building when it’s exposed to flames. It is water based and non toxic. Watch it in action in this video (link in profile): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkA1RlxMjWQ
Join us at the Conference to learn more about Professor Yeoh’s work during three days of innovation and exploration in which leading speakers from around Australia will share how we can reduce the risks of natural hazards and hazardous materials. Places are limited so register here now (link in profile): https://www.fullcycleconference.com.au/
With new modelling suggesting a hot summer with increasing fire risk it`s worth making time now to learn more about how we can reduce the risk of disaster by registering to attend the Full Cycle Conference that`s bringing together the Bushfire Building and Asbestos & Hazardous Materials Management Conferences in Katoomba on 20-22nd Nov. Group discounts apply if you register now here (link in profile): www.fullcycleconference.com.au
• Emma Whale from the NSW Reconstruction Authority will discuss how state-wide and place-based disaster adaptation planning is helping reduce risk;
• David Sanderson, the inaugural Judith Neilson Chair in Architecture at UNSW, will share the results of a landmark enquiry on how our response to disasters requires a change in housing policy and local government empowerment;
• Owen Price, Director of The Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires at UOW will compare the patterns of housing loss in the NSW and Californian wildfires;
• Guan Heng Yeoh from UNSW will share how he developed the award winning FIRECOAT fire resistant paint;
• Everson Kandare from RMIT University will discuss the development of fireproof cladding made from molasses-cultured mycelium - a fungal biomass;
• Alan Green from the Sustainable Buildings Research Centre UOW will introduce Heatwave and Multi-Hazard Resilience Star Rating Tools for retrofitting houses;
• Emma Bacon from Sweltering Cities and Dr Kim Loo from Doctors for the Environment will discuss heat waves and social justice;
• Andrew Bovis from Integrated Water Solutions will discuss the potential use of treated blackwater as an independent water source for landscape hydration and fire fighting;
• Sara Jane Wilkinson from UTS will launch the Bushfire Retrofitting Toolkit for older Australians and do a session on green roofs and walls to reduce disaster risk and increase biodiversity;
• Melissa Knothe Tate will discuss research on tackling PFAS contamination;
Thank you to everyone who participated in our inaugural Blue Mountains Food Security Fair today. It was an inspiring and thought provoking day with lots learnt, many connections made, amazing food consumed and stunning weather! We look forward to doing it again next year!
The inaugural Blue Mountains Food Security Fair kicks off at 9am today at the Planetary Health Centre in Katoomba. Pop in to listen to a talk, watch a demo, grab a coffee and sweet treat from Good Fat Pastry, a delicious lunch from Bibi`s Kitchen, fresh mushrooms from EarthRising Mushroom Farm, locally acclimatised vegetable seeds from Mid Blue Mountains Seed Savers, and edible native plants from Muru Mittigar Ltd You can view the full program here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/4nOSJle The Planetary Health Centre is at 33-39 Acacia St (former Katoomba Golf Course).
The Fair is a World Animal Day event and has been supported by a sEEd grant from the Australian Association of Environmental Educators.
A huge thank you to Richard Burrell from Muru Mittigar Native Nursery who delivered us the following edible natives to sell at our Food Security Fair on Saturday 18th October:
Apple Berry Finger Lime Mat Rush Lomandra longifolia Midgen Berry Native Leek Native Parsnip Native Raspberry Female and male Pepper Berry Vanilla Lily Yam Daisy
You can view the full program for the Food Security Fair here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/4nOSJle
We`re thrilled that EarthRising Mushroom Farm will be at the Blue Mountains Food Security Fair this Sat 18 Oct with their fabulous fresh mushrooms, mushroom grow kits and other mushroom products. Alex can help you get started on mushroom growing and let you know more about the mushroom compost you can pick up from the Farm in Lawson. View the full program for the day here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/4nOSJle The Fair is at the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Centre: 33-39 Acacia St Katoomba (former Katoomba Golf Course)
Linda Moon has lived in the upper Blue Mountains since childhood and is a freelance writer for Australian media. A qualified naturopath, permaculture designer, mother and former student of social work, her passion is building local community, gardening, mental, emotional, social, housing and environmental health – all of which are linked!
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