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.

Become a Member!

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

Update (12/01/2023)January 12, 2023

Our popular Public Stargazing nights are open for bookings.

Don’t know how to use your new (or old) telescope? Join us for Telescope Learning Day on Saturday, 25th February 2023.

Join us on Saturday 4th March 2023 for Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind: A Musical Stargazing Trivia Soiree, brought to you by MPAS and the Southern Peninsula Concert Band.

Bookings for for stargazing for schools and scouts & guides are also always welcome.

Mt Martha Observatory is open to members.

Please familiarise yourself with our COVIDSafe plan before coming to the Briars, and contact us if you have any questions.

February: Tips and tricks on offer during Telescope Learning DayJanuary 31, 2023
Now is a good time to observe and admire the rich star fields of the Milky Way stretching across the southern skies. To scan these stars, you only need your eyes or a pair of binoculars. […]
MPAS meeting January 2023January 18, 2023
Main talk: “The Discovery of Pulsars”, by Prof. Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, hosted at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Ontario, Canada.
January: See the stars come out at The BriarsDecember 30, 2022
When observing the skies this month, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) in the constellation Dorado can be seen with […]
Scorpius No. 1 (January/February) 2023December 28, 2022
Topics: Snake Valley Astro Camp; Peekaboo Galaxies; Binoculars.
December: Many sights to delight on a summer nightNovember 28, 2022
If you are observing the sky with binoculars, there is a great deal to see looking south this month. […]
MPAS meeting November 2022November 16, 2022
Main talk: “How Sunlight Affects Our Bodies and Minds”, by Linda Geddes, hosted at the Royal Institution, London, with support from the University of the Third Age.
Scorpius No. 6 (November/December) 2022October 30, 2022
Topics: Artemis I; Mercury’s sodium tail; iPhone compass; Ben’s astrophotography setup; create your own Hubble images; Rob’s journey to […]

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
The Pleiades, also known as The Seven Sisters and Messier 45, is an open star cluster containing middle-age, hot B-type stars in the northwest of the constellation Taurus. It is among the star clusters nearest to Earth; it is also the nearest Messier object to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the unaided eye in the night sky. Photo: MPAS member David Rolfe
The Trifid Nebula (M20) is an unusual combination of an open cluster of stars – an emission nebula, a reflection nebula and a dark nebula. Its name means ‘divided into three lobes’. Photo by MPAS member Nik Axaris
The Tarantula Nebula (NGC 2070) is a large open cluster located in the southeast corner of the Large Magellanic Cloud. It includes the most massive star known, R136a1. Photo by MPAS member Russell Smith
This pretty cosmic cloud is Robins Egg (NGC 1360), which nests securely within the boundaries of the southern constellation Fornax some 1500 light-years away. Taking its name from its resemblance to a blue robin’s egg, it’s recognised as a planetary nebula and spans about three light-years. Photo by MPAS member Steven Mohr
Flame Nebula – Photo by MPAS member Steven Mohr
NGC 6744 (aka Caldwell 101) is an intermediate spiral galaxy about 30 million light-years away in the constellation Pavo. It is considered a Milky Way mimic, displaying flocculent (fluffy) arms and an elongated core. It also has at least one distorted companion galaxy – NGC 6744A – superficially similar to one of the Magellanic Clouds. Photo by MPAS member Steven Mohr
M16, the Eagle Nebula, includes the stunning Pillars of Creation and Stellar Spire. Photo by MPAS member Nik Axaris
The beautiful Rosette Nebula is a large nebula in the constellation Monoceros. It is a cosmic cloud of gas and dust about 5000 light-years away and has a flower-like appearance. The open cluster NGC 2244 is closely associated with the nebulosity, the stars of the cluster having been formed from the nebula’s matter. This image is a narrow view of the centre region, with lots of dust and gas. Photo: MPAS member Steve Mohr
The Lagoon Nebula M8 is found within our own galaxy some 5200 light-years from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius. Its shape and appearance resembles a pond of a star-forming interstellar cloud and gas, and it is faintly visible to the naked eye in dark skies. Photo by MPAS member Steven Mohr
Taken with a smartphone on the Mornington Peninsula, this photo of the aurora australis shows what happens when fully charged particles burst from the sun, creating a solar wind that is then drawn to the North and South poles to produce nature’s finest lightshow. Photo: MPAS member Nerida Langcake