Dark Sky Eco Retreat

05/05/2026

☄️ COMET PANSTARRS HAS ARRIVED! ☄️We’ve had an incredible few nights under the pristine dark skies here at Dark Sky Eco Retreat, and Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) is putting on a spectacular show!Check out these two different perspectives we captured:📸 Photo 1 (Wide View): Captured with our Celestron Origin. This wide-field shot shows the comet’s stunning teal-green coma—caused by diatomic carbon glowing under solar radiation—and the beginning of its long, structured ion tail.📸 Photo 2 (Close-up): Taken through our 11-inch CPC Celestron using the Pegasus SmartEye. This view dives deep into the heart of the comet, revealing incredible detail in the nucleus and the complex "streamers" within the tail.The Southern Hemisphere has the best seat in the house for this 170,000-year visitor! It’s currently visible in the evening sky near Orion and is a treat for both binoculars and telescopes.We are fully booked for the next 3 weeks, but we can't wait to share this cosmic wanderer with all our upcoming guests. Clear skies! 🌌✨

18/04/2026

Stargazing tonight with nice Aurora on a New Moon. Enjoy the photos we took with guests.

18/04/2026

April New Moon stargazing with nice aurora @ Dark Sky Eco Retreat Coonabarabran.

22/03/2026

Caught the geomagnetic storm lighting up the southern horizon from Coonabarabran, country NSW. Milky Way rising strong, Large & Small Magellanic Clouds glowing, faint Eta Carinae nebula tucked in Carina. Shot on Samsung Note 20 with Expert Raw app – 4 min exposure. Pure magic under dark skies! 🌌🔭 "

22/03/2026

22/03/2026

Milky way season is here. Check out our February and March delights from our Smarteye and 11 inch tracking telescope. New equipment arrives in a couple of weeks that guests will be able to hire and explore our galaxy at leisure all night long.

22/03/2026

Milky Way season is here. This is an example of what we are enjoying in our Smarteye on the 11 inch telescope. These are images are from February to now. We have some availability in April but get in now for overhead Milky Way in May June and July.

17/02/2026

We got a good look at Comet C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos) last night. Enjoy these photos. It's 151 million Kilometres away and looks great in the telescopes. Check out the satellite photo bombs.

25/01/2026

Happy Australia Day from Dark Sky Eco Retreat and Wags The Tail our friendly Rock Wallaby who is appreciating a cool drink on a hot day. She joins us at the observatory most evenings and is a real pleasure to watch as we set up for the skywatching.