{"id":153441,"date":"2016-08-01T21:18:39","date_gmt":"2016-08-01T11:18:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=153441"},"modified":"2020-10-08T15:44:42","modified_gmt":"2020-10-08T05:44:42","slug":"jim-seeks-dark-skies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2016\/08\/01\/jim-seeks-dark-skies\/","title":{"rendered":"Jim Seeks Our Dark Skies"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
The spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy, photographed over the vineyards at Taabinga Station near Kingaroy last week (Photo: Jim Barclay)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Astronomer Jim Barclay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

August 1, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

Astronomer Jim Barclay from the Kingaroy Observatory is on an unusual quest: he wants to shoot as much of the night skies over the South Burnett as possible.<\/p>\n

And he wants to do it as quickly as possible, too.<\/p>\n

Jim wants to get the region listed by the International Dark Skies Association (IDSA) in Phoenix, Arizona, an organisation set up to combat light pollution worldwide.<\/p>\n

Last month the Warrumbungle National Park in central western NSW was designated Australia\u2019s first IDSA certified International Dark Sky Park, recognising its key role in Australian astronomical research.<\/p>\n

“Warrumbungle\u2019s new status as a Dark Sky Park is a monumental achievement for the National Park, and a hopeful sign for the future protection of dark skies in Australia,” IDSA Executive Director J. Scott Feierabend said.<\/p>\n

NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes welcomed the park\u2019s new status.<\/p>\n

Mr Stokes said the park\u2019s dark sky qualities would be protected with $100,000 in funding to control light pollution, which will also help ensure the nearby Siding Spring Observatory continues its research unhindered by bright lights.<\/p>\n

A new Dark Sky Planning Guideline has also been developed with the Australian Astronomical Observatory as part of the NSW Government\u2019s review of that State’s planning policies.<\/p>\n

Jim’s own quest is to get the South Burnett listed with IDSA to open the area up to astro-tourism, encouraging anyone from amateur astronomers to astro-photographers to come visit the region.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“We have some of the best dark skies within a three hour drive of Brisbane and the Coast,” Jim said.<\/p>\n

“If I can get the South Burnett Regional Council to support my application and IDSA has all the proof they need, I’m confident our region will get certification.”<\/p>\n

As part of this quest, last month Jim approached the South Burnett Wine Industry Association to shoot the night skies over the region’s wineries and vineyards, a move that was welcomed by SBWIA president Jason Kinsella.<\/p>\n

“This is a tremendous initiative which has great potential to showcase another aspect of our beautiful region,” Jason said.<\/p>\n

Jim’s first photograph – a stunning view of the Milky Way over the vineyards at Taabinga Station – was released this week, and he hopes to complete the project by September.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Astronomer Jim Barclay from the Kingaroy Observatory is on an unusual quest: he wants to shoot as much of the night skies over the South Burnett as possible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":153442,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nJim Seeks Our Dark Skies - southburnett.com.au<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Astronomer Jim Barclay from the Kingaroy Observatory is on an unusual quest: he wants to shoot as much of the night skies over the South Burnett as possible\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2016\/08\/01\/jim-seeks-dark-skies\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Jim Seeks Our Dark Skies - 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