The best skies in Oz?

[toryglen-boy]

i am planning on doing some travelling around Australia, and someone told me to go to Alice Springs, because the night sky from the red centre is apparently amazing.

and it got me thinking, where else in Oz has the best skies?

ta

:D

[Coen]

Anywhere west of the Great Dividing Range, north of Adelaide, east of Exmouth and south of Threeways.

Personal experience: Woomera, Arkaroola, Oodnadatta Track, middle of the Tanami Desert, Bungle Bungle, Coonabarrabran.

[TrevorW]

Need I say WA

[gary]

Hi Duncan,

Great to hear you are going traveling! :thumbsup:

As I have mentioned before on IceInSpace, the good news is that a few hours oustide
any of the major cities and towns, Australia is effectively one big observing field.

So the skies in places as diverse as the East & West Macdonnell Ranges,
the Finders Ranges, just outside of Birdsville or a short drive from Cooper Pedy,
down the road from Uluru etc, etc. can all be pretty much just as dark as each other.
If you look at those night time images of the Earth taken by satellites, it confirms
what I have just said.

The only other rules tend to be that the further toward the inland you go, the
higher the probability of clear skies (it's not mostly desert and semi-desert without
good reason) and of course as you approach and go north of the Tropic of
Capricorn in the Wet Season, well, chances are it might be wet. :)

One advantage the far north has is that you can view more northerly skies,
but possibly you did that back in Scotland already?

Australia is not much favored for the construction of large professional optical
telescopes because there is not much in the way of high terrain. So combined
with the heat, seeing is often the limiting factor, but having said that, the night
skies are spectacular and nights of good seeing are sometimes to be had.
Even to the point of sometimes being the best night's observing you have ever
experienced.

With regards the heat, that means not only longer mirror cool down times,
but also the potential discomfort as beads of sweat roll off the brow during
sometimes sweltering nights. At other times, it can be freezing cold, so be
sure to take warm weather gear as well.

Sometimes and with some planning you can find yourself effectively camping
on your own or well away from others. For example, the camp grounds along the
West Macdonnell Ranges are excellent with generally good separations between
sites. But now and then plans can go amiss. You arrive earlier, pitch up the tent,
set up the chairs and scope, have dinner and then a camper van the size of a small
bus rolls in, sets up a short distance away and breaks out the generator and
porta flood light. :) Sometimes strolling over to say g'day and offering whether
they would like to come over later on to look through the scope ensures that
light ends up going out after dinner. ;)

There is not much high terrain here, but Mount Kaputar in NSW is an exceptional
observing spot but talk to the Park Ranger in Narrabri first with regards
getting the key to the gate where the best place to set up the scope is.

So in a nutshell, you can't go too wrong wherever you go and you are in for
a treat. :thumbsup:

Wish I were doing the same right now!

[Ian Robinson]

Not here at my place , all I've seen since Monday is grey ....

[Omaroo]

Starting with Cooma Duncan - take a line right up into the Snowies. Some of the best skies I've seen in Oz are above 2,000m. Davies High Plain is very good - but it's 4WD only...

[pgc hunter]

On the shores of Lake Mackay should do the trick.... it's only a leisurely 500km stroll to the nearest light post.

[jjjnettie]

I envy you Duncan.
I've not seen much of inland Australia.
Next year I hope to make 2 trips south though. To Coona in March for the Deepest South Texas Star Party and then in Easter I'll be heading down your way to attend NACAA.

[mithrandir]

The most important thing to pack up that way is insect repellent.

[Darth Wader]

Reading this thread makes me realise I've lived a very boring life.:(

[Satchmo]

Ideally you want the driest air you can find for maximum transparency which is why deserts are good. When I went to Lyndhurst in 2002 for the eclipse the sky was very dissapointing however due to airborn dust.

Best sky I ever saw was Mt Kaputar in 1984. M33 galaxy easy naked eye and the Horsehead was visible in a 6" F4 . Later visits weren't so good . Transparency is a fickle thing. I'd love to go to Kaputar again to compare.
I think the solar cycle has something to do with it too.

[Omaroo]

In summer, yes, Andrew. :lol:

[IanL]

Duncan check out the far north. You can have the best skies in most of Australia but the seeing could be terrible. Far north seems to escape the jet stream much of the time and would have some of the best skies with good seeing.

PS
It certainly beats Glesgae;)

Ian

[Benno18]

Best skies for me was somewhere in between Southern Cross and Coolgardie, on the way to Kalgoorlie. And yes Southern Cross is a town im not joking.

I was April at about 10pm. Just looked like a maze of stars.
East to West, North to South. If you like roughing it, and I mean really roughing it, then out there would be good, Even if you were 10 minutes away from Kalgoorlie the skies would be great.

[gary]

Hi Andrew,

You are absolutely right and it was advice that I meant to add. :)

Duncan mentioned Alice Springs and as soon as I think Alice Springs I think
of the West Macdonnell's. But the flies there can be something else at times!
They seek out every bit of moisture, get in the corners of your mouth and
eyes and entirely cover your back from where you have been sweating.

Then come nightfall, you would think they would pack it in, but many still persist
for hours after sunset. :)

They seem to be even worse in parts of the West Kimberley.

[Ric]

My place. :lol:

But I'm a bit biased. :P

[Rodstar]

So far the best spot I have found is at Coonabarabran. I also rate Wee Jasper, south of Yass in NSW, as very dark.