We are delighted to announce that Donna Burton OAM - aka Donna the Astronomer - is bringing her passion for sharing her knowledge of the universe to the Western Plains App.

In regular blog posts, she will be giving information to help us interpret what we can see in the skies out this way, the heads up on any celestial events that are happening and relevant background to news stories. 

Let us introduce her to you:

Donna's journey to becoming one of Australia’s best-known astronomy communicators began under the vast, star-filled skies of western Queensland and New South Wales.

“My family were drovers - they worked from up near Longreach all the way down to Adelaide,” she recalls.

“I travelled with them everywhere and did School of the Air. It was ideal. You learnt, you worked, you played and you stargazed."

It was a long time before Donna realised she could work as an astronomer, but she always knew she was in love with the night sky! 

Her passion eventually took her to Siding Spring Observatory near Coonabarabran in 2002, where she started her formal astronomy education by being involved with research collaborations around the world.

Her studies at the University of Southern Queensland, including for her PhD, have contributed to knowledge of various astronomical phenomena and deepened our understanding of the universe.

One career highlight, that led to her Order of Australia, stands out above the rest - the discovery of not one, but two comets.

“I have had the thrill of discovering two comets, which adds to our knowledge of celestial bodies and showcases the observatory’s vital role in advancing astronomical research, plus, of course, was pretty cool," she said with a smile.

Donna Burton AOM

From school visits to community talks, Donna is passionate about spreading the word on the value of the Western Plains’ pristine night skies, now an officially recognised as the Southern Hemisphere's first Dark Sky Park. 

“It is a really big thing to have the Dark Sky Park here [covering Coonabarabran, Gilgandra, Coonamble and parts of Warren Shire]," she said.

“Light pollution all over the world is becoming a big issue, with the cities encroaching on the big observatories.

"You can actually see the city lights of Sydney and Newcastle from the telescope at Siding Spring.

“Getting the Dark Sky Park designates an area where the skies are kept dark so people can come out here and appreciate the night sky. Anything we can do to reduce light pollution is really important.

“We are trying to save the night sky one light at a time.”

These days, Donna The Astronomer runs public stargazing shows at Milroy Observatory alongside an “amazing team” who share her joy of introducing visitors to the cosmos. 

“Kids from the cities aren’t used to darkness, whereas we aren’t used to light! It’s a really big thing and helps them appreciate the sky.”

Siding Springs Observatory

For Donna, having the Warrumbungle National Park beneath the Dark Sky Park is not just an environmental treasure but a cultural one and a provides a big talking point for her visitors.

“The Warrumbungles is the meeting area for Wiradjuri, Wailwan and Kamilaroi tribes, and has a really rich indigenous history associated with the night sky.

"People can come out here and they can see the night sky and learn about its history from different perspectives.”

Her first tip? Mark your calendar. There’s a lunar eclipse next month!

You'll find out a lot more, direct from Donna on our Blogs page, like this one: Sorry, No Planet Parade: the truth about 20 August