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Time Out
07-07-2025
- Science
- Time Out
I'm calling it: This tiny Aussie town is one of the best stargazing spots on Earth
I don't think I'd ever seen a truly dark sky until a trip to Exmouth this year. As I stared up into the deep, dark space above, I felt completely awestruck – not just by the blanket of stars, but at the reminder of how I'm just a mere speck in this wildly massive universe of ours. Growing up in Sydney, it's easy to forget just how magnificent our night sky really is. The glow of streetlights and skyscrapers drowns out the stars, blocking our ability to spot planets, galaxies and maybe even the odd spaceship. But after a recent trip to Exmouth, I'll never look at the sky the same way. Stargazing there, under what might be the best night sky on the planet, made me feel like I was seeing the universe properly for the first time. Tucked away on Western Australia's North West Cape, Exmouth offers crystal-clear skies, minimal light pollution and breathtaking views of the Milky Way. Surrounded by the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef and Cape Range National Park, the region is far from major cities or towns, meaning the skies are much darker and clearer. Add in a high number of cloudless nights, and it's the ideal spot for stargazing year-round. I was lucky enough to join Paul and Hannah Woods from Ningaloo Stars for a guided astronomy tour at the Milyering Discovery Centre – one of the darkest locations for stargazing on Earth. Paul explains, 'There's a darkness scale called the Bortle Dark Sky Scale that ranges from one (the darkest possible) to nine (which is like being in the middle of a major city). Only a Bortle score of one or two classifies a location as a dark sky site. The Milyering Discovery Centre, where we run our tours from, has a Bortle score of two (almost a one).' Throughout the night, we dissected the Milky Way in incredible detail, tracing its glowing dust lanes and uncovering a range of celestial phenomena. I was amazed to see Mars – currently the sole planet observable from Exmouth, along with Sirius (also known as the Dog Star) – the brightest star in our sky, and the eggs in the nest of the First Nations Peoples Emu constellation. Using high-quality mobile telescopes, we also witnessed Herschel's Jewel Box – a dazzling open cluster of 100-odd multicoloured stars that are almost impossible to discern with the naked eye. But perhaps the coolest part of the night was spotting the Big Dipper in full – a prominent star pattern that should only be visible from the Northern Hemisphere. I've been stargazing all across Australia, and after this experience, I'm convinced that Exmouth is the best place to truly see the night sky – not just in the country but in the world. 🌠
Technical.ly
02-07-2025
- Business
- Technical.ly
15 events for entrepreneurs and technologists in July
We've entered the Dog Days of Summer — named of course for the rising of Sirius, the Dog Star — and stretching through the muggy period from July to August. While this can be the hottest and most uncomfortable time of the year, that dog needs walking, so get out there and help your own star rise. This month's roundup has plenty of opportunities for entrepreneurs seeking funding for their startups, plus gatherings for career advancement, sessions on AI and cybersecurity trends and more. Check out the links below and browse the company directory for more info on the host orgs, and for more local tech community events (or to promote your own), visit Events board. Monday, July 7 My NEXT Raise Investor Office Hours with Blu Venture Investors — 'Sign up to learn what investor ready means to Blu Venture Investors! Blu Ventures was founded in 2010 and has invested over $175M in 70+ companies. We are a partnership of 25 former C-level executives with experience in many industries. We focus on CyberSecurity, HealthTech, and B2B SaaS companies. We invest $100K – $1.25M in pre-seed to Series A rounds. We seek companies with significant traction that are post-production, post-revenue, and post-customer. There should be a path to $100K ARR with high growth projections.' Hosted by NEXT powered by Shulman Rogers and My NEXT Raise. Tuesday, July 8 TEDCO's DefTech Monthly Office Hours — 'Come to the office hours to discuss how DefTech can support your business by leveraging cutting-edge technology, facilities, equipment, and expertise found in the Maryland Department of Defense Labs.' Hosted by TEDCO. THE PIVOT. Series: Your Next Chapter Starts Now — 'The Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance (NOVA EDA) is launching The Pivot series, an 8-week virtual series designed to support federal employees, contractors and nonprofit professionals navigating career transitions. Through expert-led sessions, hands-on workshops and entrepreneurial insights, The Pivot equips participants with the tools to explore new paths, build confidence and take control of what comes next.' Hosted by the Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance with partnership from Arlington Economic Development. Sessions also on July 10, 15, 22 and 29. Wednesday, July 9 MedTech Mixer: A Candid Talk on MedTech Fundraising — 'An inspiring evening of MedTech networking, featuring a fireside chat on fundraising—designed to connect innovators, investors, and changemakers.' Hosted by Amplify MedTech with support from TEDCO. PCI Ventures Office Hours with Melisa Lopez-Anton (Virtual) — 'Meet virtually with a member of the PCI Ventures team to discuss your business questions on topics ranging from company formation and legal agreements to benefits and insurance.' Hosted by Penn Center for Innovation. My NEXT Raise Investor Office Hours with Ringbolt Capital — 'Sign up to learn what investor ready means to Ringbolt Capital! Ringbolt Capital is a B2B enterprise software focused firm investing in companies with $1M+ in ARR, with a focus on Data/Analytics, AI/ML, and future of work. We will lead rounds and follow on. If we lead, our check size is $1M-$2M, if we follow on it is $250K-$750K.' Hosted by NEXT powered by Shulman Rogers and My NEXT Raise. Thursday, July 10 My NEXT Raise Office Hours with Skull Diamond Heart Capital — 'Sign up to learn what investor ready means to Skull Diamond Heart Capital! SDH Capital is more than just a venture capital firm; we are architects of the future. Founded in 2020 in Rochester, NY, our mission is to empower the brightest minds in the FoodTech and AgriTech sectors. We believe in the power of innovation to transform the world, and our goal is to nurture and scale the ideas that will lead this change. Our philosophy is rooted in partnership and growth.' Hosted by NEXT powered by Shulman Rogers and My NEXT Raise. Wednesday, July 16 TEDCO's Venture Development Open Forum — 'Join TEDCO's Venture Development team for a monthly Open Forum — a recurring lunchtime discussion designed to keep Maryland's entrepreneurial ecosystem connected, informed, and empowered. Held every third Wednesday at 12 PM, we'll highlight the tools, services, and funding offered through Venture Development to help early-stage tech companies and founders thrive. Whether you're a first-time founder, a seasoned entrepreneur, or a support organization, this is your space to ask questions, gain insights, and connect with TEDCO's Venture Development experts. Topics include: Prelude Pitch, Concept Capital, Rural and Urban Business Innovation Initiatives mentorship, collaboration opportunities, and much more!' Hosted by TEDCO. PCI Ventures Office Hours with Bhavana Mohanraj (Virtual) — 'Meet virtually with a member of the PCI Ventures team to discuss your business questions on topics ranging from company formation and legal agreements to benefits and insurance.' Hosted by Penn Center for Innovation. PitchMasters Workshop — 'Since PitchMasters creation, over 300 companies have presented their businesses to CEOs, advisors, business attorneys, and investors to gain valuable feedback. At this workshop-style event, companies seeking to become 'pitch-perfect' will present their investor decks to the group and receive feedback to help refine their pitch before they go in front of investors. This is a great opportunity for companies to get ready for that 'ask.' Founders receive 4 minutes to pitch and 5 minutes of feedback.' Hosted by NEXT powered by Shulman Rogers and My NEXT Raise. Thursday, July 24 AI in the Crosshairs: Regulation, Litigation, and the Road Ahead — 'Join us for a discussion on the uncertain landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) regulation at the state and federal levels.' Hosted by Morgan Lewis. Friday, July 25 How to Raise Capital: The Legal Perspective — 'An open session for founders to ask serial entrepreneur, venture capital partner, startup attorney, and Founder of NEXT powered by Shulman Rogers Anthony Millin questions about how to successfully raise a round of capital and what you need to know from a legal perspective.' Hosted by NEXT powered by Shulman Rogers and My NEXT Raise. My NEXT Raise Investor Office Hours with Revolution — 'Sign up to learn what investor ready means to Revolution! Revolution invests in Pre-Series A through Series B with initial check sizes ranging from $3M – $12M in the following industries: Real Estate Tech; Consumer / Marketplace; Fintech / Insuretech; Software.' Hosted by NEXT powered by Shulman Rogers and My NEXT Raise. Tuesday, July 29 From Risk to Opportunity: How Cybersecurity Enhances Your Staffing Business — 'Join industry leaders from Withum and Tannenbaum Helpern Syracuse & Hirschtritt's for a dynamic session that will arm you with practical tools to protect your agency, ensure legal compliance and strengthen client trust.' Hosted by Withum. Wednesday, July 30
Forbes
25-04-2025
- Science
- Forbes
What's That Very Bright ‘Star' In The East Before Sunrise?
What is the bright light in the east? It's Venus. (Photo by Jeremy Selwyn/Evening Standard via Getty ... More Images) If you've been outside shortly before sunrise this week, you've likely noticed one very bright point of light in the eastern sky. Is it the fabled North Star? Or the Dog Star? It's neither — its Venus, Earth's sister planet, which is relatively close to Earth on its shorter trip around the sun. After spending the last six months in the evening sky for all to see, on March 23, Venus passed between Earth and the sun — a moment sky-watchers call inferior conjunction — and returned to the pre-sunrise morning sky. The second planet from the sun was the beginning of a new apparition — a period when a planet is visible in the night sky — that will last for the remainder of 2025. Not surprisingly, Venus is nicknamed 'Morning Star' for when it's visible before dawn in the east and 'Evening Star' for when it can be seen in the west after dark. Venus is the third brightest object in the sky, dimmer only than the moon and the sun, but this weekend, it gets just about as bright as it ever can. According to EarthSky, Venus will reach "greatest brilliance" this weekend when it shines at -4.4 magnitude (for context, the sun is -26.7 magnitude and the full moon -12.6 magnitude — the lower the number, the brighter the object). It won't get as bright again in the post-sunset sky until September 2026 and the pre-dawn sky until November 2026. Venus is so bright because it is so close to Earth. That's despite it currently being a crescent, as the young moon is each month. How can that be? Venus, an inner planet as seen from Earth, was between the Earth and the sun on March 23, having spent the previous few months approaching Earth. The distance between Venus and Earth is increasing, so we're seeing its disk shrink, but its crescent shape gets larger. It's now about a quarter-lit. It's bright largely because of its global clouds of sulphuric acid, which reflect light very well if you can fetch a pair of binoculars or a telescope and try to see Venus as a crescent while you can. Fresh from forming a much-hyped celestial smiley face with Saturn, Venus will continue to shine alongside its sixth planet from the sun. However, it's not a fair fight since Venus will shine about 240 times brighter than Saturn. This weekend, Venus will rise in the east above Saturn, with a very slim crescent moon — just 4%-lit — detectable on Saturday. However, it's a new moon on Sunday, when our natural satellite will be positioned between the Earth and the sun. As of Tuesday night, it will be visible as a slender crescent moon in the west shortly after sunset. All of this means it's been a fabulous week for stargazing. If you had clear skies this week and didn't go outside after dark, you missed a trick because the moon has been down in the pre-midnight hours since Monday. Why not circle some dates in next month's calendar when the same thing will happen again for about 10 nights after the moon reaches its last quarter phase on Tuesday, May 20? You might even catch a falling star or two. Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
