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BROOME'S ASTRONOMY EXPERIENCE
"Giving people a living breathing conscious experience of being on a planet that is turning as it hurtles through space is our most profound task with Astro Tours.
With this experience comes an ability to see things for what they really are, to see yourself in relation to the whole and to know that everything is on track. So relax, have fun and enjoy the ride."
Greg Quicke
STARGAZING TOURS
Broome's Astronomy Experience a 2 1/2-hour educational and entertaining mind bender using big telescopes, lasers and fun under some of the best stargazing skies on the planet.
You'll find Greg Quicke running star shows for the public from April/May to October/November at the Astro Tours dark site, an easy 20 minutes drive out of Broome, Western Australia.
With a growing national and international TV presence, availability of Greg to run the public star shows in Broome is at a premium. We recommend that you check the online Event Calendar and book now to make sure to get in on the night that you want. We recommend that you make a booking for early in your visit to Broome (depending on the moon phase of course). This will give you some fallback dates in case of a cancellation due to weather or any other cause.
GETTING THERE
Showtime is 5.30pm to 8pm May through July and 6pm to 8.30pm August through October. Our beautifully dark bush setting is 13km out on the Broome Highway, right next door to the Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park, a must do while you are in Broome. You can opt for: A HOTEL TRANSFER, or save yourself some $$s with a 20 minute SELF DRIVE. It is an easy drive for any type of car on a sealed road except for the last 500m of hard packed dirt. Clear directions are delivered with your booking confirmation email.
RENTING A CAR IN BROOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION
BROOME BROOME CAR RENTALS, SUNRISE CAR HIRE, HERTZ and THRIFTY are our recommended car rental companies for you to drive the 13km of sealed highway from Broome to Astro Tours. Some of the other car companies will not cover you if you use your car after dark. You drive out to us in the daylight and return after dark.
CANCELLATIONS
You can cancel or change your booking via email on the Contact page or phone with no charge at any time with half a days notice.
STARGAZING BY THE LUNAR CYCLE
The moon regulates our life in Broome with the tides as well as the best times for stargazing. The moon is so bright in the week before full moon that we can only see the brightest stars and planets. The Milky Way is nowhere to be seen and the stargazing is very poor. We don’t run any shows this week so please check our EVENT CALENDAR before you book your trip to Broome.
DARK STARRY NIGHTS
After the day of the full moon, the moon rises nearly an hour later each night. This means that from 2 or 3 days after the full moon we have dark skies with no moonlight to spoil the view. Contrary to popular opinion, you don’t need to wait until new moon! Dark skies means lots of stars, planets, deep space and Milky Way magnificence running all the way through to almost 1st quarter moon, 2 1/2 weeks later. These are all equally the best nights in the stargazing month. The moon phases are marked on our EVENT CALENDAR.
MOONLIT NIGHTS
The crescent moon in the week following new moon is absolutely stunning in our telescopes. You will see craters, mountains and valleys in the mountains. There is so much detail from this closest-other-world that you can imagine driving your 4WD around to explore the moon. The small crescent moon in this first week of the lunar cycle doesn’t interfere with our stargazing and still allows us to access the many fine sights of deep space.
BRIGHT BRIGHT MOONLIGHT
The 2nd week of the lunar cycle begins with the 1st quarter moon phase. We have a waxing half moon in the sky that grows night by night taking out the stars one by one until we can only see the brightest ones. No star shows this week! Seven days after 1st quarter the moon aligns opposite the Sun. This is Full Moon!
STAIRWAY TO THE MOON
The next 3 days has the moon appearing over the wet mud flats of Roebuck Bay nearly an hour later each day to create Broome’s famous STAIRWAY TO THE MOON. Moonrise stairway times can be found on our EVENT CALENDAR for your convenience followed by our first DARK STARRY NIGHT star show in the next lunar cycle.
TUNING IN TO THE SEASONS
Coming out with us once will give you a snapshot in time of our continuous journey through space. Coming regularly will build on this and reinforce what we started together while adding in other elements that really can only be gained by you experiencing them through the passage of time. We measure this time with the very journey of our planet through space! To consciously experience this journey will literally take you time! Season Tickets are available.
WHAT ELSE WILL WE LEARN
While we are setting you up to watch the earth turn and to achieve Earth Turning Consciousness in your life, we'll teach you star names, constellations and where to find the planets. We'll reinforce this as much as we can throughout the night with the idea of you finding at least a few things in the sky the next night with confidence!
CHILDREN
Our starshows are directed at the ADULT MIND. The show is NOT SUITABLE for SMALL CHILDREN. If you choose to bring small children you will still have to buy them a ticket. If your child disturbs the proceedings you will be asked to take them away from the arena so as not to disturb other guests who have come to learn. This means that you will also miss out. There will be no refund in this case. Some parents choose to take it in turns to come on different nights giving them uninterrupted opportunity to absorb the whole experience with an older child or by themselves. Having said this and making it as clear as we can, (you might be able to guess what happened on last night’s show), your WELL BEHAVED CHILDREN with a good attention span are very welcome! They are some of our favourite people!
INCLUDED
We’ll set you up with a custom designed comfortable SWIVEL stargazing seat. Our significant telescope fleet ranges from 4 inch to 20 inch in diameter for your viewing pleasure. Greg is mic’d up through a beautiful sound system to ensure your journey through the heavens tickles all your senses. WE RECOMMEND that you enjoy a late afternoon snack or meal before you come and perhaps have a late supper organised for when you return home at the end of the night.
MERCHANDISE
We like to sell things that will be useful in your stargazing life. Greg’s two books, EARTH TURNING CONSCIOUSNESS - AN EXERCISE IN PLANETARY AWARENESS, and IS THE MOON UPSIDE DOWN? published by Penguin Random House, are both receiving amazing feedback in their effectiveness in tuning people in to the cosmos. Astronomy Yearbooks, beautiful Astro Himalayan wool blankets, stubby holders, glo-in-the-dark hats and T-shirts are available with card payments on the night and ONLINE. We have an amazing array of TELESCOPES and BINOCULARS that we can deliver to your door anywhere in Australia.
IMPORTANT: Night time temperatures at our bush site can drop to less than 10 degrees during June, July and August. Bring warm clothing, covered footwear is best and most importantly, a ready, clear and sharp mind!
PRICES 2023
Our prices are set to reflect commissions, GST and credit card fees. We are totally dictated to by the weather including a wet season that shuts us down for 5 months of the year. Having said that, we are very approachable to adjust prices in genuine cases of need if the request is accompanied by a smile. The setup each night is intense with over a tonne of telescopes to be lifted and set up before you arrive and the same heavy lifting after you have gone home. This is the bit you pay for. You get the show for free!