1. Staying on site
Of course, you want to be able to stay at the place where you do your stargazing, as it happens at night (!) and you definitely don’t want to be travelling to and from the place where you are observing. If you are at one of those places, the most annoying feature can be people arriving or leaving in their cars, which ruins the experience of darkness. So yes, Bendigo Ridge is an accommodation provider where you can stay and look at stars, planets and other deep space objects like galaxies and star clusters.
Check the availability, check the Stargazing conditions and book.
2. Dark Skies
There are no towns or significant settlements nearby, so our sky is very dark. We’ve been careful in our own use of lighting to make sure we aren’t part of a problem for anyone else. Bendigo/Tarras doesn’t yet have formal dark sky accreditation, but we don’t really need a formal tick when we have one anyway.
Cromwell and Wanaka are both not visible from where we are.
Especially in Autumn, Winter and Spring, our weather is settled and we have many beautiful crisp night skies, perfect for stargazing, whether it is looking through telescopes or binoculars, or simply lying on a big bean bag looking up at the core of the Milky Way with a glass of Rocha Terrace pinot noir.
3. Northern Outlook
Bendigo Ridge faces true North at an altitude of 470m. We have a very clear outlook to the North where most of the good sights are, the Milky Way above, the Southern Cross and many more. Use the Stellarium Interactive Sky Map from our Stargazing Calendar to find your points of interest. In Autumn, the 4 biggest moons of Jupiter are visible through binoculars dead ahead. The amazing Orion cluster is easily visible also through binoculars most of the year, and features like the Jewel Box and Coal Sack is visible to the South.
Auroras are generally not visible but if an Aurora is on (notified through our custom Stargazing Calendar), we’re not far from some great spots to see it.
4. Knowledgeable Guides
Barry knows the Southern night sky and has trained as an astroguide through Aotearoa Astrotourism Academy. As a guest, you will be treated to stories about the stars, planets and constellations including Māori astronomy (tōtai arorangi, matariki, puanga), and he can answer any questions you might have (unless you are a rocket scientist, in which case he’ll ask the questions!). While not of Māori descent, we feel it is important to convey the unique perspective of Māori and Polynesian astronomers rather than just those of a Euro-centric past.
5. The Right Equipment
Bendigo Ridge has a range of equipment that makes the experience so much better.
- A 8″ Dobsonian telescope -which is easy to use and comfortable for viewing
- 20×80 tripod-mounted Celestron binoculars – for easy viewing of the moon, Jupiter and some of the larger star clusters. It’s a fun way to explore the skies
- Hand-held 10×50 Pentax binoculars
- Small binoculars in your room, for when you wake up and just want to have a peek
- Blankets! The best stargazing is on clear nights which tend to be cooler. The warmer you are, the more you’ll enjoy the experience. Get an idea of midnight temperatures with our Stargazing Calendar
6. Preparation
- Prepare yourself for the conditions using the Stargazing Calendar unique to Bendigo Ridge.
- Choose a time when there is less moon to ruin the dark sky (more green than orange in the app). This is not as important for telescope viewing as it is for general naked-eye stargazing
- Choose a time of year when the things you want to see will be visible (click on the day detail).
- Stay for at least two nights to improve your odds of clear skies. Conditions tend to be better in Autumn, Winter and Spring.