AstroFest and daytime stars and planets

The Central West Astronomical Society (CWAS) will be presenting its annual AstroFest on Saturday 18 July and Sunday 19 July. The Saturday will see the conference taking place in the function room of the Bushman’s Motor Inn, just north of Bushman’s Dam on the road to Peak Hill and Dubbo. CWAS monthly meetings are always informative, but the AstroFest attracts speakers who are topical and leaders in their fields. On Saturday evening, the AstroFest dinner, again at the Bushman’s Motor Inn, is also popular and entertaining. On Sunday 19 July, the focus switches to the Parkes Radio Telescope Visitor Centre where the 2026 David Malin Astrophotography Award winners are unveiled. Although CWAS monthly meetings are free for members of the community to attend, the CWAS has to charge for the AstroFest conference and dinner to cover the cost of attracting world-class speakers. Interested people can register for the conference or the dinner or both. Further details to register for the 2026 CWAS AstroFest can be found on the CWAS website www.cwas.org.au, then press the CWAS AstroFest button followed by the register button. This close-up of Venus was taken by one of NASA’s Pioneer spacecraft in 1978. Because Venus is closer to the sun than the earth, it sometimes appears as a crescent similar to the moon. Weather permitting, visitors to the Parkes Radio Telescope may also be able to see Venus through telescopes in broad daylight on 19 July. Even if you can’t register for the conference itself, CWAS members will have their telescopes set up on the lawn behind the Parkes Radio Telescope Visitor Centre on the morning of Sunday 19 July. Visitors will be able to safely look at the Sun through special safety equipment, something that inexperienced people should never try to do at home. However, some telescopes will even be pointed towards some stars, as well as planets such as Venus and Jupiter… all in broad daylight. All the CWAS activities out at the Radio Telescope on 19 July are free of charge and don’t require registering for. In the meantime, while we are waiting for the 2026 AstroFest, the next monthly meeting of the CWAS will be tomorrow night, Friday 3 July, at 7:30pm. The meeting will take place in the Sunset Room, upstairs in the Parkes Services Club in Short Street, Parkes. Members of the community are welcome to attend CWAS monthly meetings, which are free of charge.