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.

Live sky at the Briars
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

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

  • June: Here be dragons
    June is a wonderful time for night-sky observers in the southern hemisphere. The rich star fields of the Milky… Read more: June: Here be dragons
  • MPAS Meeting May 2025
    Main talk: “How the James Webb Space Telescope Was Designed”, by Dr. Mark Clampin, Astrophysics Division Director, NASA, courtesy of the Royal Institution, London.
  • May: Artistic Liberty
    The Milky Way rises high in the south this month, with Sagittarius and Scorpius sitting in the east –… Read more: May: Artistic Liberty
  • Scorpius No. 3 (May/June) 2025
    Topics: Vale Roger Cleverdon; Kosmos 482 re-entering; Celestial poles.
  • MPAS Meeting April 2025
    Main talk: “Astronomical Spectroscopy: Understanding The Complex Chemistry Hidden Between The Stars”, by Prof. Martin McCoustra, Herriot-Watt University, Prof. Serena Viti, Leiden Observatory, Netherlands, and Prof. Wendy A. Brown, University of Sussex, courtesy of the Royal Society of Chemistry and Chemistry World, London.
  • April: Impressive, by Gum
    As the skies get dark this month, you will notice that the constellations scattered along the arc of the… Read more: April: Impressive, by Gum
  • MPAS Meeting March 2025
    Main talk: “The Secret Life of Snowflakes”, by Prof. Kenneth Libbrecht, California Institute of Technology, courtesy of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Ontario, Canada.
  • 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

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