Track Care is close to achieving 170th member this month. With our fantastic sponsorship from Hema any member will be in the draw for a Hema HX2 with sunshade. See this Link: Hema HX2
Joining Track Care WA will also enable you to attend the Soirees around the wheat belt where we will look at some of the history, flora and fauna of the area while visiting the fantastic granite outcrops! During the school holidays trip we will have some astronomical possibilities as well see this link Perth Observatory information.
Those joining the second Wheatbelt Soiree will (but no guarantees) have the opportunity to see one and possibly two celestial phenomena:
1. The Harvest Moon
The Harvest Moon is the full moon nearest the autumnal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly Europe, the UK and Northern USA and Canada. For us in out in the Western Australian wheatbelt, it is the full moon nearest the spring equinox. It is so named because the extended period of lighting allowed farmers in the days before electricity to gather their crops. Not a great deal of meaning now but the name persists. The Harvest moon this year will be on 29 September.
2. Comet C2023bA3 (Tsuchininshan-Atlas)
This extract is from a note by Matt Woods of the Perth Observatory. The Perth observatory was located in West Perth in premises currently occupied by the Western Australian National Trust. The observatory was relocated to Bickley to avoid light pollution which has since overtaken the Bickley site. Weather/ clear skies permitting those on this soiree, keen enough to get up in the early morning should be able to see this Oort cloud visitor with the naked eye, but binoculars or a telescope would help.
” Astronomy enthusiasts are eagerly anticipating the arrival of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS). This comet follows a highly elongated orbit estimated to be 80,660 years inbound that takes it from the distant reaches of the solar system called the Oort cloud into the inner solar system, close to the Sun (Its perihelion) at 0.39 AU (58 million km) on 27th September 2024. This means this comet has not been seen from Earth in recorded history. The comet will pass just 0.47 AU (71 million km) from Earth on the 12th of October 2024.
The best viewing opportunities will be in the Southern Hemisphere. You’ll be able to see the comet before dawn in the east in late September and the first week of October. After the comet gets closest to the sun, it will swing around near Earth. But as it does so, it passes almost directly between Earth and the Sun, making it challenging to view until the middle of October as it reappears from the Sun’s glare, and you’ll be able to see it in the west after dusk for a few weeks. During these two months, the comet is expected to reach its peak brightness, potentially becoming visible to the naked eye under dark sky conditions.
To see it, it’s best to find Dark Skies locations, as light pollution from urban areas can significantly diminish the visibility of the comet. When the comet is viewable in the morning it’s best to see it in the Central Wheatbelt and away from big towns. When it reappears after dusk in the west, it’s best to go to the beaches away from streetlights, the lookouts along the Perth Hills escarpment, like Lion’s Lookout and the Zigzag Lookout. If you do have binoculars, it’s best to bring them just in case this comet goes the same way as Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks.”