One of the greatest pleasures of Aussie camping is a night spent gazing at the stars – a five (million) star accommodation experience.
All you need is a camp chair, a blanket and the desire to gaze at the heavens.
Here are the top five things to look for:
- The Southern Cross – The most recognisable constellation in the night sky, it’s often confused with the False Cross, a look-alike constellation which is normally just above it. The Southern Cross (or Crux, it’s proper name) is made of five stars, plus two extras which point to it, so you know which are the real ones.
- Saturn – The second largest planet in our solar system. It looks a little golden and doesn’t twinkle like many stars do.
- Pisces – This constellation made of eighteen stars and looks like a V on its side, the point pointing west.
- Triangulum Australe – Otherwise known as the Southern Triangle, this constellation is made up of three of the brightest stars in the sky, forming a near equilateral triangle.
- Capricornus – The Goat or Goat Horn, this constellation is made from nine main stars and will appear as a large triangle. It’s one of the fainter constellations, but makes a rather large shape.
If you need more help finding constellations in the night sky, there are some very good apps for your phone to help you along.
Top 5 NSW Stargazing Locations
New South Wales is home to some of the best stargazing spots. Here are the top 5 locations so look up!
- Parkes
- Dubbo
- Blue Mountains
- Broken Hill
- Warrumbungle National Park
NSW Astronomy/star-gazing Observatories
Why not include a visit to an Observatory on your next trip.
- Sliding Spring Observatory, Coonabarabran
- Skywatch Observatory Domestays, Coonabarabran
- The Bathurst Observatory Research Facility
- Dubbo Observatory
- Mudgee Observatory
- Linden Observatory, Blue Mountains
- Parkes Observatory, home of the iconic “Dish”
