Dubbo Observatory
Dubbo Observatory
4.5
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Night Sky & Telescope Viewing Bring your SLR camera to take astrophotographs through the telescope. Daytime viewing of Solar flares and sunspots, planet Venus and some daytime stars Astrominigolf
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4.5
118 reviews
Excellent
79
Very good
25
Average
8
Poor
1
Terrible
5
Ruby A
5 contributions
July 2022 • Couples
We arrived before time as it said. Door was late opening and as it was a freezing night, this was a bad start. We sat in a shed to watch a video before the experience began. The video played for 2 minutes, then it finished. The lady was too busy checking people in to press play again so we say for 20 minutes twiddling our thumbs. Peter arrived and took us outside 15 minutes later. He spoke for about 20 minutes and showed slides for information and what we might see. Apart from the moon, the other telescope views were very underwhelming for us. There were sooo many people on the tour, we were lining up behind kids, teenagers and adults to see in every telescope. A lot of money for a very ordinary experience.
Written 9 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jaf92sydney
Sydney, Australia88 contributions
July 2020
We did the Astro Exclusive tour. It was a smaller group of 6 in total, which meant minimal waiting time at the telescopes, and use of the big telescope. The guide Peter Star was knowledgeable and enthusiastic, pointed out various constellations and answered all questions. We were lucky enough to visit when Jupiter and Saturn were in sight, very memorable to see Jupiter's 'stripes' and Saturn's rings. We did not have an SLR camera but were able to insert our SD card into Peter's camera for him to take two photos for us. If you visit in Winter, dress warmly !!
Written 15 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Juliexcv
Sydney, Australia5 contributions
Jan 2021
I would recommend this experience as it is full of great information about the stars and constellations, Peter is an amazing host with a wealth of knowledge. We were able to view the stars through 7 different telescopes pointing to various nebulae and even the moon. I would like to return when there is a new moon so that the stars would be even brighter and easier to see.
Written 9 February 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PaulofSydney
Sydney, Australia125 contributions
Oct 2020
We (2 adults with a 6 year old boy) did the night sky & telescope tour on a Thursday night. We were surprised to see the number of people turning up for the tour, which was well over 20 people. Despite the crowd and waiting our turns to use the telescopes, it was well worth it.
Peter gave us a good, albeit brief, introduction to what we are seeing. His use of the laser pointer was also very useful in pointing out the various stars, constellations, etc.
At the end of the tour, we passed him a SD card to capture a photo of the nebula using his camera. You could also use your own DSLR camera, should you wish to.
My son didn't find it boring and enjoyed looking at Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, and others. I think for the next trip, we will book the premium tour.
Peter gave us a good, albeit brief, introduction to what we are seeing. His use of the laser pointer was also very useful in pointing out the various stars, constellations, etc.
At the end of the tour, we passed him a SD card to capture a photo of the nebula using his camera. You could also use your own DSLR camera, should you wish to.
My son didn't find it boring and enjoyed looking at Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, and others. I think for the next trip, we will book the premium tour.
Written 18 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
monica h
5 contributions
Feb 2023 • Couples
We went on a lovely clear night and were the only ones there yet the tour went on. Peter Starz (yes that is his name!!!) is the owner and gives a quick education lesson of stars, moons and planets. You are soon engrossed and beginning to feel just as passionate as Peter. His knowledge is incredible that we stayed for nearly 2 1/2 hours!!. What he showed us that night and taught us was unforgettable that we now feel quite knowledgeable about what the stars really mean. We now look at the night sky in a completely different way. There are around 10 telescopes that he can set up with bigger group numbers but only 2 were set up that night. We still were shown an amazing array of planets and stars.
This is a must see and worth the admission fee. Well done Peter. We will be back.
This is a must see and worth the admission fee. Well done Peter. We will be back.
Written 8 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
fionascotland
London15 contributions
Jan 2021
We visited the Observatory with our 11 yo son and it was an excellent experience. Peter pointed out all the interesting stars and stellar bodies and it was so interesting to see the Moon up-close. Really good to see the different heavenly bodies and stars.
Written 24 January 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Roslyn T
Sydney, Australia38 contributions
Nov 2020
We had only learnt of the existence of the Observatory a couple of weeks ago but immediately booked the experience (essential). Our visit coincided with a full moon on a cloudless night so we had an excellent encounter with the moon as well as virtually all of the planets. If a starry night is more to your liking, wait until the moon is not visible. If the night is not suitable for viewing then all monies are refunded. Just to add to the experience, the astronomer in residence is Peter Starr!
Written 4 December 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jennifer M
1 contribution
Dec 2020
We attended a premium session as a group at midnight. The sky was really clear and the moon bright. The COVID restrictions changed the presentation venue to outdoors which was actually really helpful as we could compare the projected image on the shed wall of what we were meant to be seeing through the telescope. It was too late at night and the wrong season to see many planets but just the stars were enough! There were several telescopes used outside the observatory itself and Peter the astronomer would go ahead of us and prepare the next viewing whilst we were all looking at the current one. Peter's knowledge and easy teaching style was a big part of the e experience.. He opened our eyes to the truly enormous expanse of the space we live in on our tiny planet, orbiting around our relatively small sun. With his laser pointer he showed us constellations, some night sky navigational skills, pointed out galaxies. how to find celestial south using the Southern Cross and lots of other interesting things. So many 'stars' we see at night are actually much more than a single star. So many galaxies! Being able to compare the stars we could see with the naked eye with their detailed big telescope image inside the observatory was absolutely surreal. So many suns! So many colours out there! We saw clusters, nebulae, details of the moon's surface, new stars, old stars. gas clouds and more. The photos we took through the telescope are awesome reminders of our visit. Peter readily and patiently answered our many questions. We are very grateful for this experience and for Peter's guidance on a fantastic journey. The tour is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Check out the observatory website for information about times/seasons to visit if you have a particular interest.
Written 30 December 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bharat I
Sydney, Australia217 contributions
Jan 2023
Great to see jupiter, saturn and a whole host of stars in the night sky. try going in winter but if not possible, summer is ok except it gets really hot. An experience to remember.
Written 4 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tara H
10 contributions
Apr 2021
Wow. This was awesome. My 10 year old son loved this. It was a perfect night for star gazing. There is so many telescopes set up to look at different clusters of stars etc. Loved it.
Written 25 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Would the Observatory be suitable for an 8 and 10 year old? How long is the tour - did children,participate? Thanks
Written 5 June 2018
Really depends on the children’s interest level. There is a lot of telescope time. The explanations are aimed at people who want to know about astronomy and at least our presentation was better with a bit of knowledge, at the ABC documentary level.
Because numbers were few our night we spent over an hour and a half directly in the telescopes and had the explanation as we watched.
If the boys are interested, they get to see a lot but. E warned, distant objects are still small.
Written 5 June 2018
Are you open for a tour Good Friday 2018
Written 5 January 2018
Suggest you contact Peter Starr via at tenby observatory page or visit NSW. Peter owns Dubbo Observatory and runs the tours. Great night and well worth a visit.
Written 5 January 2018
time is best to go. 9pm?
Costs for seniors.
Written 5 March 2017
dubboobservatory
Dubbo, Australia
Hi
In March we have a show that starts at 8pm. This can vary depending if something is special in the sky on a particular night at a particular time. Time is confirmed on booking. Bookings are essential. Cost for Seniors Card Holders is $22.
Written 5 March 2017
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