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.
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
Telescope Learning Day
A much anticipated event for 2024! Come to Mt Martha Observatory on Saturday, 19 October and learn from scratch about how telescopes work, how best to use them and what to point them at! Click here for details and bookings.
Our popular Public Stargazing nights are open for bookings. You can now also purchase Gift Certificates for these events!
Bookings for stargazing for schools and scouts & guides are also always welcome.
Mt Martha Observatory is open to members.
Newsletter / monthly highlights / meeting videos
- Plenty of good viewing in the October skyAfter the wonderfully rich views of the southern winter, October night skies look rather empty, with exception to the… Read more: Plenty of good viewing in the October sky
- MPAS Meeting September 2024Main talk: “Our Mathematical Universe”, by Professor Max Tegmark, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, public talk from 30-January-2014 courtesy of the Royal Institution, London.
- September: Rich pickings when you look to the westThere are a few interesting targets in the sky at the moment in Aquarius. The globular cluster M2 appears… Read more: September: Rich pickings when you look to the west
- Scorpius No. 5 (September/October) 2024Topics: Nancy Grace Roman space telescope; What to expect at a School viewing night?; What is a parsec?; Australia Telescope Compact Array; Measures of time.
- MPAS Meeting August 2024Main talk: “What Is A White Hole?”, by Carlo Rovelli, Centre de Physique Theorique, Marseille, France, courtesy of the Royal Institution, London.
- August: Archer a tempting target for astronomersIn the August skies you can find Sagittarius, the Archer, lying almost overhead; to its south-west lies Scorpius the… Read more: August: Archer a tempting target for astronomers
- MPAS Meeting July 2024Main talk: “Cataclysmic Variables: Stars That Go Boom!”, by Walt Cooney, board member of both the Houston Astronomical Society and the American Association of Variable Star Observers, courtesy of the Houston Astronomical Society.
Mornington Peninsula Astronomical Society
Mt Martha Observatory
The Briars, Mt Martha, Victoria
Email: welcome@mpas.asn.au
Postal address
450 Nepean Hwy,
Mt Martha VIC 3934