Less than 100 Days until the Ningaloo Solar Eclipse  - learn about eclipses and how to see the 2023 event

Olympus Pro Binoculars in stock now - ideal for bird watching and nature viewing 

More highlights from the BINTEL Astrophotography Competition 

Some telescope history - happy birthday to Tom Johnson, founder of Celestron

In the Sky this week - where to see the planet Venus 

The Rosette Nebula (NGC 2237) posted by Chi Chan to the BINTEL Society Facebook group. Chi used a Sky-Watcher Esprit 100ED APO refractor and his new ZWO ASI2600MM camera.

The Ningaloo Solar Eclipse  - where to see it in Australia and some info on Solar Eclipses

It's now less than 100 days! On the 20th of April 2023, a Total Solar Eclipse will be visible in northwest Western Australia with a Partial Solar Eclipse visible across a large part of the rest of the country. 

(Solar eclipse in 2017 above Oregon, USA Image via NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

In this article we'll cover:

• What is a Solar Eclipse
• Why Solar Eclipses are rare events
• How to view it from your location and what you'll see
• The gear you'll need to see the Solar Eclipse safely
• + more

We'll be also updating details of the eclipse including live streaming information on the BINTEL Events Page.

Binoculars for bird and nature watching - Olympus Pro 

Even though we're having a damp summer, it's still a great time for bird watching and heading out for nature viewing or even catching the tennis or cricket. 

The Olympus Pro 8x42 and 10x42 binoculars have really impressed us with the quality of their Zuiko optics and the remarkably clear views they produce.  

This combined with their light weight, rugged and waterproof body and some features not normally found at their price such as oil and fingerprint repellent coatings means the Olympus Pro Binoculars are excellent value for money. 

They're certainly some of our favourite binoculars at the moment! Pop into our retail store to see for yourself or check them out online via the link below - 

Highlights from the latest BINTEL Astrophotography competition - Congrats to the winners

We received some spectacular images during our recent BINTEL Astrophotography competition. Here's some more of the winning entries. 

Dmytro P'Yannikov used his Celestron EdgeHD 9.25 on Sky-Watcher NEQ6 Pro mount to capture the galaxy M83, commonly called the Southern Pinwheel.  Clearly visible in this image are bright reddish regions among the galaxy's spiral arms. These are areas of denser gas where the next generations of M83's stars are being born. 

David Forbes recorded a video of Jupiter on the 7th of November using a Celestron NextStar 8SE and a ZWO ASI462MC camera which was then processed into this still image. A remarkable feature of this portrait of Jupiter is the volcanic eruption occurring on Jupiter's moon Io when this was taken. Io is the small moon seen at the bottom right of Jupiter. The gases from Io's eruption did not reflect the Sun's light like the moon itself. The gasses *did* however cast a shadow on Jupiter next to Io's shadow. If you need to zoom in to see it more detail, click here. 

Happy Birthday to Celestron's founder - Tom Johnson

This week the global Celestron community has been celebrating what would have been the 100th birthday of the company's founder, Tom Johnson.

BINTEL has been a proud supporter of Celestron for decades and supplied Celestron telescopes, binoculars and spotting scopes, microscopes, and a myriad of accessories to many thousands of our customers over the years. 

You can read more about Tom Johnson and the history of the world's largest telescope maker via the link below.

In the Sky this week - Saturn and Venus just before dark

The view from Sydney, around 8.50pm on the evening of the 19th of January 2023. 

If you have a clear view to the western sky this week, you'll be able to the brilliant white planet Venus next to Saturn.   Venus will continue to be visible in the evening sky in the coming weeks. After the Sun and Moon, it's the third brightest object in the sky. 

As before, check out Stellarium on the Web for your own personal sky charts. 

Next time...Celestron binocular and spotting scope offers for summer 2023.