Welcome to MPAS

Welcome to MPAS

MPAS is a volunteer-run Astronomical Society, located at Mt Martha on the Mornington Peninsula. It was founded in 1969 to foster the study of all aspects of Astronomy, Space and general Science by volunteers and to promote these to the public.

You can visit us at one of our popular public stargazing nights, where you can learn more about the Universe and take a look through our telescopes at the planets, the Moon and the stars.

We hold a monthly general meeting for the exchange of ideas and information. For decades the Society has provided “Astronomy on the Move” educational presentations, including observing nights for schools and community groups exclusively in the Peninsula and surrounding areas, as well as special exhibitions in the Melbourne CBD and Melbourne Museum.

View of Mt Martha Observatory

Mt Martha Observatory is the Society’s registered astronomical observatory at The Briars Historic Park. It is used to further the Society’s educational, research, innovation and recreational capabilities. Historically this was the first registered amateur observatory in Australia and is one of a network of registered global monitoring stations of night sky light pollution. The Observatory is registered with the Astronomical Society of Australia. We acknowledge the land, water, and sky under which we meet are of the Bunurong and Boon Wurrung peoples and we pay our respects to their Elders past and present.

Upcoming Events

Newsletter / monthly highlights / meeting videos

  • Open your eyes to stunning open clusters in June
    This month there is no shortage of interesting objects to view from southern latitudes.  A good place to start is […]
  • MPAS Meeting May 2023
    Main talk: “Sailing Into Darkness: The Great Ningaloo Eclipse”, by MPAS member Trevor Hand.
  • May: Winter is coming – it’s written in the stars
    The Milky Way rises high in the south this month, with Sagittarius and Scorpius sitting in the east – […]
  • Scorpius No. 3 (May/June) 2023
    Topics: JUICE mission; rockets, shuttles and space ships; Whyalla Analemma; Exmouth Solar Eclipse; Destination Gippsland event; MPAS survey results.
  • MPAS Meeting April 2023
    Main talk: “Existential Physics – Life’s Biggest Questions”, by Dr. Sabine Hossenfelder, Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, talk hosted at The Royal Institution, London.
  • April: Omega Centauri the star of the show
    The most impressive sight when looking up this month is the great arc of the Milky Way galaxy. It […]
  • MPAS Meeting March 2023
    Main talk: “Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space”, by Prof. Janna Levin, Astrophysicist, Columbia University, hosted at The Perimeter Institute For Theoretical Physics, Ontario, Canada.
  • The Carina Nebula (NGC 3372) is a large, complex area of bright and dark nebulosity in the constellation Carina and is located in the Carina-Sagittarius Arm, which is generally thought to be a minor spiral arm of the Milky Way. The nebula is about 8500 light-years from Earth. Photo by MPAS member Nik Axaris

Mornington Peninsula Astronomical Society
Mt Martha Observatory
The Briars, Mt Martha, Victoria

Mobile: 0419 253 252
Email: welcome@mpas.asn.au

Postal address
P.O. Box 596
Frankston, Victoria, 3199