River Murray International Dark Sky Reserve (the first of its kind in Australia).
The River Murray Reserve spans 3250 square kilometres in South Australia with Swan Reach Conservation Park being its core. This makes it the fifth largest dark sky reserve in our area of the world. It is also differentiated from other areas being only 100 kms from a major city – Adelaide, so it makes it much more accessible to many South Australians. The River Murray area is already a much visited site for cultural and tourist attractions as well as the natural history of the area.
Here is a map of the reserve showing how Moorunde fits into this area.
Wombats SA is delighted to announce that Moorunde Wildlife Reserve is included in the newly established River Murray – Dark Sky Reserve.
Moorunde is part of this reserve, and on volunteer weekends there is always the option to view the incredible panorama of stars through a telescope. After a day working and discovering more about the Moorunde area, the chance to discover the night sky as well is almost overwhelming. And while you are waiting for darkness to fall, there is a chance to find wombats emerging from warrens for their nighttime activities.
Enquiries to attend a volunteer weekend and take part in camping and sky-watching activities:
Contact Peter Clements at peterrclements@gmail.com or phone 0417881658 for more information.
Here is the star chart for June 8 2024 generated from the Heavens Above website, which can show any night/time for any location.
Enlarge or Open Image in a new Tab to see more detail.
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by Jarrod Koh
Jupiter-Saturn conjunction 21 Dec 2020 by Colin Hill.jpg