AMATEUR astronomers and other interested onlookers can come together to witness the June solstice at precisely 1.33pm on Monday, 21 June at the Ballarat Municipal Observatory and Museum.<\/p>\n
The gathering will centre around the facility\u2019s curiously named Pipehenge, which Observatory manager Judith Bailey described as \u201ca structure that looks like a climbing frame, but is actually a representation of the celestial sphere that indicates the positions of the earth in space.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe angle that Pipehenge is on is based on our latitude, and it’s pointing to a point in the sky called the South celestial pole, which is directly above the South Pole,\u201d Ms Bailey said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s a bit like a sundial, and the sun\u2019s shadow will fall at a particular position during the Solstice.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll be able to see the shadow lined up with the \u2018shortest day\u2019 ring on the structure. It’s an excellent educational tool.\u201d<\/p>\n
Visitors will also have the opportunity to delve into Ms Bailey\u2019s knowledge of all things unearthly, including the related question of why we have seasons, for example.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s all tied in with the axis that the earth rotates on, which is about 23.5 degrees off the perpendicular,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo that’s indicative of how our seasons evolve.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust say perchance that the angle was only 22 degrees – then our seasons would be markedly different. So the angle determines the extremes – the heat of our summer, and the extreme cold in our winter.\u201d<\/p>\n