Sea Lake Astro Fest: A Deep-Space Side Quest

Sea Lake Astro Fest 2025 turned into one of those deep-space side quests that takes over your whole weekend in the best way possible.

I was lucky enough to help out again this year, MC’ing the talks, running the science Q&A panel, hosting the pub quiz, and volunteering at the Lake Tyrrell public viewing night.

But the real highlight wasn’t the microphone or the schedule, it was watching people experience the night sky together. The curiosity, the first-time telescope reactions, the quiet “wow” moments… that’s what this festival is all about.

Somewhere in between all that, I squeezed in a final astrophotography session with Krista before she headed back to America, one last night of star chasing together after years of shared sky adventures.

Sea Lake Astro Fest isn’t about any one person. It’s about sharing the universe with anyone who shows up with a sense of wonder.

And this year delivered that and more.

#SeaLakeAstroFest #AstroFest #Astrophotography #Stars #NightSky #MilkyWay #DeepSky #DeepSpace #Astronomy #SpacePhotography #AstroPhotography #AstroCommunity #Cosmos #Galaxies #ScienceFestival #ScienceCommunication #STEM #SciComm #SpaceNerd #SpaceLovers #Telescopes #Stargazing #Nebula #AstroLife #ExploreTheUniverse #UniverseToday #Skywatching

https://youtu.be/rFDSStg4mY8

So on the Anzac Day weekend I finally was able to take a print of my award winning photograph taken at Orchard Glory Farm Resort to present to the proprietor David, as a thank you for keeping the skies dark.

Thank you to @rdm for taking the photos for the presentation and once again to the #Astrofest for the photography competition and of course, #AustralasianDarkSkyAlliance for sponsoring the prize.

#Astrodon #astrophotography #SouthernHemisphereAstronomy #astronomy

Here is something a little different.

I submitted something similar to last year's #Astrofest photo contest, but it was rejected on account of too low a resolution.

This is a much improved version, using a full moon.

What we have is last night's #Moon with today's #Sun superimposed upon it.

Shot on a #Dwarf3 and post processed in #googlephotos , #Snapseed, and PrintImprover.

#Astronomy #astrophotography #Astrodon

So Astrofest is done and dusted for another year. For the first time since the early 2000s (when we did model rocket displays) we were volunteers. This time we were running one of the telescope pods - the Smart Telescope pod, which, unlike the other pods, was not limited to a single target. We were all over the sky, making the most of the ease of control and versatility of these fun devices.

@leece and I had three DwarfIIs, there was a pair of Seestar S50s, a Unistellar EVScopeII, and even a Vaonis Vespera II (which is a work of art, as well as being a stunning telescope).

We even had someone doing it oldschool with a guide mount and a DSLR with a very beefy lens!

We started the afternoon with sun and moon viewing - made challenging with the sunlight on our screens. After, one of the S50s continued with the moon for the rest of the night, while the rest of us went on to other targets, including 47 Tucanae, the Cat's Paw Nebula, C65 (The Sculptor Galaxy), The Lagoon Nebula, the SMC, the LMC, and even a random star that someone had the coordinates for tattooed on their arm!

We were on our feet pretty much from 2:30 when we set up to 10:30 when we finally departed, and talked to the public almost non-stop from about 4pm. We answered questions about what these weird looking devices were, and why people were not looking through them, what they could do, how much they cost, and which were the best. This last one was a tough one, as we own one brand, and there was another brand in the same price bracket right next to us :) We were fair, though, and highlighted the pluses and minuses of each. And explaining, many times, that we were not selling them.

Early in the evening Leece did duck off to watch the Astrophotography competition awards, as she had been shortlisted. And, to her surprise, she had just sat down when they announced the winner for the Night Sky Friendly Lighting category - with her image of the rising galactic core over a resort near Bindoon taking the prize!

It was a fantastic, if exhausting experience, and one we look forward to repeating in Feb 2026.

#astronomy #astrophotography #ScienceEducation #Astrofest #PerthWA #Astrofest #Astrofest2024 #Bindoon #DarkSkyAlliance #DwarfII #SeeStarS50 #Unistellar #Vespera2

Thank you to the Astrofest organisers, thank you to the Australasian Dark Sky Alliance for sponsoring the award, and thank you to Orchard Glory Resort for knowing how to turn the lights down.

#Astrphotography #Astrofest #darksky #WesternAustralia #Perthisok

Hi folks, this is a reminder that the #Astrofest is coming up if you're in or near Perth. Register for your chance at prizes if you're going to be present.

Hi folks - the Astrofest is coming!

I recently received a letter saying that one or more of my photographs has been shortlisted for the photography competition so I'm over the moon. Not that it would be a moon shot, not my subject this year. :-)

There's a people's choice award, so if you like my photo in the exhibition, I'd love your votes! :-)

The Astrofest is family friendly, with heaps of activities and really cutting edge science and presentations. Visit us on the field, we'll be personning our telescopes in the smart telescope section, and of course the big telescopes will be out there for you to try!

https://www.astronomywa.net.au/astrofest.html

#PerthWesternAustralia #astrophotography #astronomy

Looking forward to imagining aliens at the Montreal Planetarium this weekend!

SETI Artist-in-Residence Director Bettina Forget is offering her Imagine Aliens workshop on Saturday afternoon as part of the 2024 AstroFest. This family-friendly activity invites participants to design aliens that live on speculative (but scientifically accurate!) exoplanets.

See you there! More info about this event is at https://calendrier.espacepourlavie.ca/astrofest-a-day-of-free-activities-at-the-planetarium-964863

#seti #science #art #sciart #astrofest #montreal

That’s a wrap from us at #Astrofest today, but the Royal Astronomical Society team will be back again tomorrow.

If you’ve got tickets please come and say “Hi”!

Still looking to get one? Visit europeanastrofest.com so you don’t miss out on the “Universe coming to London” 🪐💫🔭

If you’re at #Astrofest today, a reminder that our Deputy Director Robert Massey will be giving a talk at 16:35 GMT titled ‘A cluttered and noisy sky’.

Don’t miss it if you want to hear more about the impact satellites are having on stargazing and what we can do about it 🔭💫🛰️

It’s been a busy morning at #Astrofest and great to see some of our Friends and Fellows - big thanks to Wendy Taylor for taking a picture of the team below!

Want to join us? Find out more at our website ras.ac.uk

🌌🪐