Southland Astronomical Society Observatory

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Southland Astronomical Society Observatory
Location108 Gala Street, Invercargill, New Zealand
Coordinates 46°24′19″S168°21′10″E / 46.40525°S 168.35287°E / -46.40525; 168.35287 Coordinates: 46°24′19″S168°21′10″E / 46.40525°S 168.35287°E / -46.40525; 168.35287
Website http://homepage.mac.com/stevoss/SAS/
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Location of Southland Astronomical Society Observatory

Southland Astronomical Society Observatory in Invercargill is New Zealand's southernmost observatory. Operated by Southland Astronomical Society but owned by the Southland Museum and Art Gallery, it is situated on the western side of the museum building.

Invercargill Place in South Island, New Zealand

Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff, which is the southernmost town in the South Island. It sits amid rich farmland that is bordered by large areas of conservation land and marine reserves, including Fiordland National Park covering the south-west corner of the South Island and the Catlins coastal region.

New Zealand Country in Oceania

New Zealand is a sovereign island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses—the North Island, and the South Island —and around 600 smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific island areas of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans. During its long period of isolation, New Zealand developed a distinct biodiversity of animal, fungal, and plant life. The country's varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks, such as the Southern Alps, owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions. New Zealand's capital city is Wellington, while its most populous city is Auckland.

Southland Astronomical Society organization

The Southland Astronomical Society is the southern-most astronomical society in the world. Based in Invercargill at the southern tip of New Zealand's South Island, its small, active group of about 36 amateur astronomer members participate in a variety of astronomical activities including education with groups and school children, deep sky observing, astrophotography and aurora observation.

The primary telescope in use is a fork mounted 30cm (12 inch) diameter Cassegrain design. The telescope can also be operated in the classical Newtonian configuration by removing the secondary mirror. It was built by Russell Beck.

Public viewing nights are each Wednesday, 7pm to 9pm, from April to September while daylight saving time is not in effect.

Daylight saving time Practice of advancing clocks so that evenings have more daylight and mornings have less

Daylight saving time (DST), also daylight savings time or daylight time and summer time, is the practice of advancing clocks during summer months so that evening daylight lasts longer, while sacrificing normal sunrise times. Typically, regions that use daylight saving time adjust clocks forward one hour close to the start of spring and adjust them backward in the autumn to standard time. In effect, DST causes a lost hour of sleep in the spring and an extra hour of sleep in the fall.

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