Things, they are a-changing. We have entered the Noongar season of Birak and as the weather heats up and Jupiter and Saturn slip back under the horizon things at the observatory are changing and shifting. You may have noticed a different name under this Editor’s Note and a new design of the newsletter. The lovely and hardworking Jay Chester has stepped down as Editor-in-Chief of the newsletter and I have filled his large and impressive shoes. Everyone here at the Observatory will miss him and his hard work and we all wish him the best in his next endeavours.  

Things are also changing in our day-to-day. We have re-designed our Sunday Guided Day Tours; they now include a must-see solar experience, so make sure you make your way up the hill on a Sunday and have a fun afternoon with us. We are also working hard to develop new educational programs with the help and funding from JTSI, and we have a new project starting that involves cameras on our rooftop looking for meteors. This is an exciting project and we have already spotted some great night sky activity. It’s still in its set-up phase currently so tune in to our next issue where we will have some more information on this new project. 

Night tours are continuing on as ever and the hot nights make for perfect viewing. Learn what you can see in the upcoming months in our What’s in the Sky segment.  

This edition also has some great articles from our volunteers, including some new recruits. We are always inspired by the passion and drive of our volunteers and it’s great to see our newest members fitting in well and becoming part of the team.  

Everyone at the Observatory also wishes you a very merry holiday season and a happy New Year. We hope you see many stars, maybe some meteors, and plenty of your loved ones.