Observing session Aratula SE QLD

[Sausageman]

I would like to organise an observing session at the SETI observatory, Aratula, SE QLD for the Easter weekend.
It is about 1 hour's drive West from the Southern Suburbs of Brisbane heading for Warwick.

It will be for 2 nights Friday and Saturday, the 6th and 7th April 2007.
The Moon will be full on the 2nd, so it will be getting darker by the 6th.

Camping will be the only option if you intend to stay for both nights, but I may have 2 rooms with single beds available on a first in basis. Subject to ongoing upgrades.

There is 1 shower, 2 indoor flushing toilets, 1 outdoor dunny for the desperate.
A full kitchen is available, with a microwave oven and gas stove plus a 4 burner BBQ will be available for use. But I insist that people clean up after using the facilities.

We have plenty of power, but bring your own extension leads (you will need long ones)

There will be no charge for using the facilities, as we are totally Solar, apart from the BBQ gas.

Motel accommodation is available 5Km away, and the Aratula Hotel has some rooms to rent if available. The pub has great food as well at very reasonable prices.

If you are interested in attending, please reply on this thread.

Mike.

[Dennis]

Hi Mike

Count me in. The region is quite a beautiful area so we (my wife and I) would love to attend. I may have to curtail the all nighters, so I'm not too tired for the scenic day trips and bird watching!

Cheers

Dennis

PS - I'm still working on the video - you and Noel keep being stretched to 16:9 by the conversion, so I'm trying to fix this.

[Sausageman]

Dennis,

It seems at the moment that it will only be yourself and your Wife and me from the response, thats fine, I will make some sausages and breakfast burgers then.
We will eat well then.

Mike

[jjjnettie]

I probably won't be able to make it Mike. Easter is a busy time for us with our Coffee Cart.
I'd like to come along some other time though.

When the interview was on telly, I set up the digital camera in front of the TV and copied it that way. Pretty dodgy, but if you want a copy I can send you one.

[Dennis]

Whoa Mick – hold your horses on your generous offering of meat; we have both been vegetarian for over 30 years now, and I suspect our digestive enzymes wouldn’t know what to do with it if we stuffed it down our gullet. :scared:

We’ll bring our own tucker, but the accommodation, setting and company sounds grand; we’re looking forward to the visit and dark skies.

Cheers

Dennis

[astro_south]

Mike

I may be able to make the Saturday night, but it is too far away to know for certain. I will make a note of it and see what happens

[Nightshift]

Hi Mike,

I would love to come and even have time off that time of year, however, I dont want to spend easter away from family but dont want to bore them mindless with my hobby, so, my question is, what else is there to do during the day in and around the site for my wife and 8 year old daughter?? using google maps I see a lake is nearby, is swimming an option? bush walking? tourist attractions of any kind etc?

P.S. I would be in a small poptop caravan and power just for lighting would be good.

[astroron]

The moon Rises at 19:32 and is 89% from full on the 6th of April, not a very good time to hold an Astrocamp?

[Sausageman]

Sorry Dennis,
Taking foot from mouth.

jjjnettie,
You will be welcome at future astronights, there will be more of them.

Astro south,
if you can make it on any of the nights, just turn up.

Nightshift,
We have plenty of power for your camper, Lake Moogoorah is about 26Km by road from the observatory and swimming should be OK as ski boats use it all the time, there are some walking trails further up the Range and Spicer's Gap is supposed to be nice although I haven't been there.

Astroron,
I did see that the moon would be a problem, but some of the southern sky objects should be ok.

Mike

[Dennis]

Hey Mike

Nothing to apologise for mate - your gesture was very kind and much appreciated. Just keep the skies clear and the weather good eh.;)

Cheers

Dennis

[Sausageman]

The weather is always good Dennis,
If it's fine, it's good for us, if it's wet, it's good for the Farmers and our rain water tanks.
If it rains, we can use Starry Night and have a glass or two of red wine.

We might even set up the C14 and have a gander. No tracking system for it yet, just the standard control and no Polar alignment yet.

Mike.

[Sausageman]

Just purchased a Meade LPI from 5ash, can't wait to try it out.
I will have to steal the wife's lap top though to record on.
We also have a Starlight Xpress camera which has never been tried out. Easter maybe the time to test everything on the moon as it should have some fairly good definition by then.

Mike

[Nightshift]

Hi Mike,

Sorry but all bets are off, wife not keen plus we are going away the week after easter and she thinks it be a bit much for us.

having said that, the moon is all wrong as ron said but that doesnt mean I wouldnt like to come out another night another month? Keep us posted about events in the future.

Hope you have a nice weekend anyway. Cheers, Dennis.

[Sausageman]

No problems Dennis,

The Moon was going to one of my targets anyway, as I will be trying out the LPI for the first time.

I am talking my my friends into coming down, to bring some music to the event.
My thinking on the Easter weekend was to allow Easter Sunday and Monday with our Families.

Mike.

[astroron]

:hi: Mike, I would like to come over in the future on a dark sky night, even though I have a dark sky site here.
It would be great to get together with you Guys and Girls from the far side:thumbsup:

[Sausageman]

I will be there anyway for both nights.
So if anyone turns up, I will be pleased, otherwise I will have a very peaceful 2 days.

Mike.

[Sausageman]

I am back from NSW.
The Easter friday and saturday session is still on for those that want to come.
I will be trying my hand at some moon shots, as I mentioned before with my LPI.
Come if you can.

Mike

[Gargoyle_Steve]

hey Mike.... just a reminder that Easter Saturday night there is a lunar occultation of Antares, and a good chance to catch a glimpse of Antares tiny companion (normally fairly difficult to see) as it emerges from behind the dark limb of the moon just a bare few seconds before Antares itself.

I'd love to come out to an observing session another time but Easter is out for me too. I do hope we can do it another time though.

Cheers!

[Sausageman]

That sounds like a good target.
I think I might be too busy with focussing, tracking and many other tasks on my first attempt at Astro-imaging though.
I still have to collimate the scope,(after some work to clean water spots from the secondary mirror and the inside of the corrector plate), a left over from a mistake on my part at IISAC06.
"Technical acetone" works wonders, (my thanks to Mike from Bintel for the tip).
Tonight looked like being the ideal night, but the wind has picked up here, and will stuff it up.
Ahh well, I can wait for another day.

Mike.

[GrahamL]

Mike I'll be staying in aratula or somewhere nearby the week following easter
will have to catch up sometime in the future as its not to far to duck over the range up lions road for me.

Nightshift the border ranges are a good day trip from aratula and are
a pretty special place IMO lots to see ...sheepstaion creek below

Christmas creek is another easy drive the ..stinson air crash happened up above
westrays grave is a good walk up the valley

http://www.archives.qld.gov.au/research/stinson.asp


and maybe some of us from the other side to ron ;)

[Sausageman]

I'm looking forward to a couple of peaceful nights under the stars.

Here are directions for anyone who wishes to attend.

Along the highway, about five Km's south west of Aratula (heading for Cunningham's Gap) is an overtaking lane, there is a turn off on the left with signs for Spicer's Gap. Take this road and drive about 1 Km, on the left is a cattle dip called "Clumber Dip", slow down here as the turn off to the observatory is about 100 metres further on, on the right hand side of the road. There is a break in the double white lines at the entrance to the property. The gate is set back and not visible from the road.

Mike.

[Sausageman]

UPDATE FOR ARATULA OBSERVING SESSION

The weather forecast is not looking good for Friday and Saturday.
So for any of you thinking of attending, I will post a weather update on Thursday afternoon.
If it is raining I will cancel the event. The ground is clay and it will turn to mush, making it impossible to set up stable mounts.
It will also make camping a very messy affair.

Mike

[Sausageman]

Aratula observing session will go ahead as planned

Even though the weather forecast is against us, we will go ahead with the observing session.

I will be opening the gates at the Aratula observatory about 2 pm Friday.

Mike.

[Sausageman]

I sincerely hope no-one turns up for tonight's observing session, as I came home this afternoon with a bad ear infection.
Last night's storm did not eventuate although it was cloudy until about 8:30, when everything cleared and left us with a beautiful sky until Sunrise.
The Magellanic clouds were easily seen with the naked eye.
The Moon was not a problem either when viewing to the South, and was a great target after collimation.
Jupiter came up fine also with 4 moons visible just before Sunrise, but the seeing was pretty poor for photography, so I didn't bother.
This was meant to be my first attempt, but it didn't happen, ahh well, there is always a next time.

Mike.