On Friday the 13th we were thrilled to host a full house of guests for our inaugural 'Night with the Stars' star gazing and astrophotography event with special master of celestial ceremonies, Kiama local event astronomer David Finlay.
The evening commenced with our guests returned from dinner and joining David fireside in the farmhouse kitchen for a chat and presentation about the night sky (David even brought along a piece of moon rock and some meteor fragments which were passed around for guests to hold and admire - if you've never held a piece of the moon in your hand, it's quite a momentous thing!), hot buttered rum and mulled wine served to ward off the impending cold as we made our move outdoors into the grounds.
Mother Nature was certainly working in our favour, the sky crystal-clear and the air still. With everyone rugged up in wraps, mittens and armed with thermos flasks of whiskey and cinnamon-spiced hot chocolate, David kept everyone entertained with stories of the heavens, pointing out numerous celestial markers with his high-powered laser pointer. A telescope and binoculars were on hand to assist with the viewing, and David shared tips on getting the best from stellar photography. One of our guests, Nicole (@theaustraliantraveller on Instagram) took this amazing shot of the milky way, and David took a time-lapse video of the event.
The night was such a success that we've committed with David to schedule one or two more before the year is out...stay tuned for dates!
