![]() ![]() The QVMAG has a fine collection of Tasmanian astronomical equipment from historical telescopes to detectors of cosmic rays, and even a rocket, which will be on display in the exhibition. The free-entry exhibition showcases Tasmanian astronomy from its beginnings right through to the present day. The big event for the Planetarium, however, occurs on 7 September when the new gallery Southern Skies: Astronomy in Tasmania will open. Planetarium staff and volunteers from the Astronomical Society of Tasmania showed celestial sights through telescopes set up at the Inveresk site. During National Science Week in August, the QVMAG Planetarium conducted public stargazing from 7pm on 14 and 16 August. The Curiosity rover is the most sophisticated craft ever sent to the Red Planet. ![]() Professor Paolo de Souza, who had experiments on board the craft, and QVMAG’s Martin George presented on the mission. ![]() Silver qview transit tv#From 3pm on Monday 6 August, Planetarium staff ran public sessions in the Inveresk auditorium with live NASA TV coverage of the landing. Following on from the Transit, August was also a special month for astronomy at the QVMAG with NASA’s Curiosity rover landing on Mars. Transits of Venus were very important scientifically in the past, as they were used to calculate the scale of the Solar System. A further 350 people, including Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings, watched the transit from the Campbell Town showground with QVMAG’s Martin George and fellow astronomers Shevill Mathers and Laurie Priest running a similar observation event. QVMAG’s Chris Arkless coordinated the transit of Venus public observation site on 6 June, with over 1200 people in attendance. QVMAG’s Chris Arkless, assisted by Planetarium volunteers, coordinated a public observation site at the Museum, displaying the transit by projecting the Sun’s image onto screens. The next transits will take place in December 2117 and December 2125. They occur in pairs separated by eight years, following which the next pair takes place more than a century later. Transits of Venus are very rare, with only six known to have been observed, beginning in 1639. During the event, Venus appeared as a black dot in silhouette against the Sun. QVMAG FRIENDS Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery newsletter August/September 2012 Looking up and beyond A large crowd of around 1200 people visited the QVMAG Museum at Inveresk on Wednesday 6 June 2012 to watch the transit of Venus. ![]()
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