Visiting Perth next summer - Any club/single stargazer to join/meet?

[Ro84]

Hello all there!

I'm an "old" registered user here, but not active for many years. I joined this forum in 2010 mostly to share my long experience under the equatorial sky enjoying the southern heavens, but I'm from the northern hemisphere (Italy), so my sky is "upside-down" for you. :lol:

Well, now I could have an opportunity to visit Perth, and to stay there from december to march, if things go in the right way. I will come to do postgraduate researches as visiting student at one of Perth's university. Obviously, I couldn't miss this great occasion to explore again the southern sky.

I know it really well, at the point which for me there is almost no difference between being under a northern or under a southern sky. So, I'm looking for any club or even single or small groups of (serious, reliable, not time-waster ;)) peoples who love to bring a telescope under a good night sky to enjoy the summer Milky Way, from Orion to Centaur and more. Of course, I can't bring with me from Italy my dobsonian, :lol: so I have to go with someone with his own telescope.

Basing on some fast researches on the web, I got a site belonging to a group of stargazers based in Perth, but it seems not so active, with meetings just once a month at a Bridge Club.

I know there is time before coming to Australia (I'll be there from december), but still I would like to know how to act to get involved in the local amateur astronomy environment as soon as I land there. :)

Thank you very much!

[alocky]

Hi Roberto,
Feel free to contact me, the private message system on this site works well.
I regularly make trips out to dark skies near Perth with a 25" and you are welcome to come along. I also have a small observatory if you'd prefer to stay in town - my wife's family are Abruzzese and we do a mean pizza so we can also help with homesickness.
Ciao,
Andrew.

[luka]

Wow, 25" and a home-made pizza...
And I was about to offer my 10" Dob... and no pizza :rofl:

[alocky]

The more the merrier. When I've been travelling and posted similar requests in America and Europe I've been amazed at the generosity and hospitality shown to me, so I see no reason not to continue the tradition of fellowship with amateur astronomers. There's no reason not to offer Roberto a view through a 10" as well, it's not a competition!
Regards
Andrew.

[Ro84]

@luka, I accept 10" and 20" (with and without pizza), as well as a mere 4" + good and fair astrofriendship. :lol:

When I saw the southern sky for the first time 10 years ago, I enjoyed it a lot with just a "home-made" 5" newtonian on a very unstable forked tripod mount, and still I was amazed to see the plenty of Carina Arc, the clusters in Southern Cross and Centaur, and the Magellanic Clouds. It was more than enough for me.

Here in Sardinia I'm using your telescope's small brother, a 8" Sky-Watcher dobsonian, and still I'm fully enjoying the amazing northern galaxies, the clusters in Cassiopeia and the nebulae in Cygnus and Perseus. Some of my friends have a 12" and even a 16" telescope, but my 8" with good accessories and a very dark sky just 45 minutes from my home is more than enough for me, again.

If some of you will come to Sardinia for holidays (you never know), I would be happy to bring you under a good sky and show the northern objects, and southern objects down to the Scorpion tail and Omega Centauri with a reversed perspective. :lol: You will have to settle for a small 8" dobsonian, since you are used to larger telescopes. ;)

[luka]

It's a plan.

By the way, I will definitely need a reminder closer to the time... now where did I put my glasses again :lol: