Stargazing in Western Australia

Stargazing in Western Australia is a world-class experience. WA is home to some of the darkest night skies in the world and is the envy of stargazers and astronomers in many places including Europe, America and Asia.

In some brightly lit cities, it’s impossible to see one star, let alone the billions that we can see from our backyard in WA.

When you’re visiting Three Springs, make sure you go to these locations. Here you’ll find a great place to gaze at the beautiful night sky. You’re welcome to bring telescopes and binoculars too.  

If you’re an astrophotographer you can’t miss a visit to Three Springs! It’s an amazing location and perfect to take images of the night sky over beautiful landscape.

Find us on the Astrotourism WA Map at www.astrotourismwa.com.au and discover how we’re helping to protect the dark night sky in Western Australia.

What makes WA so special?

The beautiful Milky Way sparkles directly overhead in the Southern Hemisphere and the views are magnificent.

From the Southern Hemisphere you can see the quintessential Southern Cross, the Magellanic Clouds (which are satellite galaxies to our own Milky Way Galaxy) and the beautiful Aboriginal constellation of the “Emu in the Sky”.

On a moonless night, the stunning Milky Way Galaxy stretches across the night sky in all its glory. It feels like you could almost touch it! It’s something that everyone on Earth should experience more often.

Another advantage WA has is that Perth is the most isolated capital city in the world. This means it’s very easy to escape bright city lights to experience wonderful dark night skies full of stars.

Countryside WA is uncrowded and its welcoming small towns have low levels of light pollution. The nights are darker for astrophotography and the air is clean and pure for crystal clear stargazing.

When you head out to do some stargazing, remember to turn out all your lights. Artificial light destroys your ability to see the stars! The darker the night sky, the more stars you’ll be able to see.

In a world that’s getting brighter and brighter with artificial light pollution, Western Australia’s communities are aiming to keep their night sky as dark as possible so that you can always visit to enjoy the wonder and beauty of the brilliant Milky Way stars.

FUN FACT

The International Space Station is a space station in low Earth orbit and has been continuously occupied since November 2000. 

• An international crew of six people live and work while traveling at a speed of 7.66kms per second.
• In 24 hours, the space station makes 16 orbits of Earth, traveling through 16 sunrises and sunsets.
• The ISS orbits at a height of 408km above Earth.
• It’s length = 73m and width = 109m.

Want to learn more about the ISS then visit:  www.astrotourismwa.com.au/iss/

Discover how to track the ISS at www.heavens-above.com