If there’s ever a time to bring your sofa cushions outside and set up in a horizontal position in the hope of catching a shooting star, it would be December 14 – when the biggest meteor shower of 2023 will be lighting up the sky. It’s predicted that, with the Geminids meteor shower, 150 shooting stars will soar overhead every hour – the perfect excuse to skip the underground bar in favour of a more open-air situation.
And if you’re ready to take your stargazing to the next level, turn to Dimitri Douchin and Caroline Boulom: the owners of Blue Mountains Stargazing and Jervis Bay Stargazing, who are offering a special stargazing session in a secret location in the Blue Mountains for the big day (night).
A TED speaker with a PhD in astrophysics and experience working with Indigenous communities as a cultural astronomer at Western Sydney University, Dimitri has next-level wisdom when it comes to what’s going on in the sky. Quiz him about black holes or planet rings or the space-time continuum and he’ll offer back an informed, digestible answer. An evening with Dimitri is like a personal astrophysics seminar, with a direct line to Saturn and Jupiter (both will be visible through telescopes on December 14th) and complimentary hot chocolate.
The Geminids stargazing experience will involve an explanation of the science behind meteor showers, constellation storytelling, laser-guided naked-eye astronomy, and access to telescopes and binoculars to catch a crystal-clear glimpse of the planets and explosions suspended in the sky.
Tickets for adults and children can be booked over here.
Want to make a weekend of it? Check out our guide to the best cafes and restaurants in the Blue Mountains.