[okiscopey (Mike)]

Ignoring whether it’s a good place to live and other practical factors, what’s the theoretically best place for optical astronomy in Australia?

What prompted me to think about this was the ‘not perfectly dark sky’ at Kulnura recently and the horrendous ‘dripping dew’ problem I encountered as a newbie observer. Also someone from OS asked a similar question recently, but inevitably they had real-life constraints.

We’re all aware that altitude, dark skies, minimal average cloud cover, laminar air flow and dry air is good, but where in Australia (excluding the Antarctic territories) do ‘all the curves cross’?

Obviously much work was done in chosing a site for the AAO … so if that’s the best place, what’s the next best place and (if possible) why?

Here’s my contribution: top of Mount Sonder, 1380m, W. MacDonnell ranges, NT

P.S.1 “Somewhere else in the Warrumbungles” is disallowed!

P.S.2 Apologies if this has been discussed before.

P.S.3 You can tell I’m at a bit of a loose end at the moment.