Interest in astronomy has experienced a massive boom locally, resulting in the formation of the Bombala Astronomy Guild.

This guild meets for viewings every second Wednesday night from 6.30pm at the Bombala Airstrip, with all welcome to attend the two hour sessions free of charge.

Prior to the viewings there is usually a discussion on what can be observed on each particular evening, and on occasions the club will show an astronomy DVD teaching more about the universe we live in.

The club has three telescopes that are used on the viewing nights, and of course privately owned scopes are also welcome to be set up at the airstrip.

In very exciting news, the club has recently acquired a new Meade LXD 75 reflector telescope, with go-to capabilities.

This means once the scope is aligned, you can choose an object in the sky that you would like to view and the telescope will automatically point to that object.

This impressive telescope is worth $3,600 and was partially funded with a grant of $1,900, along with $581 raised through the street stall, and a very generous donation from a club member to make up the balance.

On viewing nights the telescopes are set up so there is something different to view from each scope, with Saturn being a firm favourite at the moment as it can be seen quite clearly during May.

Saturn’s rings and moons have proven an amazing sight, but the club assures us there are always plenty of clusters and nebulae to view, and information is provided on what can be seen most clearly each month.

All the members are very enthusiastic about astronomy, so most questions can be answered from the vast knowledge they have accumulated over the years.

The next area of interest is astrophotography, where photos are taken through the telescope of the planets, stars and moon. A special camera mount is being purchased for telescopes.