By Taylah Eastwell
A month on from the storm, as people try to get on with their lives, reminders of the devastation remain.
As a way of brightening the darkness, Mount Burnett Observatory is hosting a free event at the end of July to bring some beauty back into the lives of those affected by the superstorm.
Held at Emerald’s Chandler Reserve oval on 30 July, the event aims to demonstrate that even though the community were in the dark during the storms, darkness can be used to see something beautiful in our night sky.
Mount Burnett Observatory volunteer Petra Klein said the observatory committee really wanted to do something to give back to people in the Hills affected by the storm on 9 June.
“Lots of people were without electricity and internet after the storms hit, so the whole idea is to show that even in the darkness you can look up to the sky and find something beautiful and that in all of this sadness, there is still beauty,” Ms Klein said.
The family friendly event will feature live music, food and coffee trucks, an emergency service drone display and a number of children’s activities including astronomy-focused virtual reality (OzGrav and Astro3D from Swinburne), with the local football club allowing the group to use the building and grounds free of charge.
“We will have telescopes set up at stations with different things for people to see, so people can walk around. There is an educational aspect, so if they are looking through a telescope at Jupiter, the person at that station will tell them a little bit about Jupiter,” she said.
Ms Klein said there is a high chance viewers will get to see Saturn and Jupiter as well as a number of stars, clusters, nebulas, and galaxies.
“There is lots to see, not just planets and stars. In school you only learn about planets, but there is so much more up there,” she said.
The community stargazing night will run from 7pm until 10pm.
Free tickets need to be obtained through the booking link: www.trybooking/BSSSX
