Astro Heads,
What a great trip to Australia's Astronomical
Capital: Coonabarabran, home of the largest
scope in all of OZ, Siding Springs' 3.9 meter AAO.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coonaba...ew_South_Wales
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siding_Spring_Observatory
Siding Springs is known mainly from the photos of
famous astrophotographer David Malin:
http://www.aao.gov.au/images/index.html
David's southern hemisphere images have been the
magnet that brought so many northern observers
Down South!
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Had inside tours of the following telescopes:
Anglo-Australian Telescope (3.9 m - AAO)
http://www.aao.gov.au/
Faulkes Telescope South (2.0 m)
http://lcogt.net/
40-inch Telescope (ANU)
http://www.mso.anu.edu.au/observing/...pes/40inch.php
Uppsala Southern Schmidt Telescope (0.5 m)
http://www.mso.anu.edu.au/~rmn/
Steve Lee & Robert McNaught both personally
showed us around!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_McNaught
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Other scopes on the Mountain that we saw also
without the inside tour are:
UK Schmidt Telescope (1.24 m - AAO)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Schmidt_Telescope
SkyMapper Telescope (1.3 m - ANU, Under Construction)
http://www.mso.anu.edu.au/skymapper/
Siding Spring 2.3 m Telescope (ANU)
http://www.mso.anu.edu.au/observing/telescopes/2.3m.php
Automated Patrol Telescope (0.5 m - UNSW)
http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~mcba/apt.html
ROTSE IIIa, Robotic Optical Transit Search Experiment (0.45)
http://rotse1.physics.lsa.umich.edu/
This optical arsenal sits on the very dark and dry
(200+ clear nights a year) 4,000 foot Mount Woorat,
over-looking the Warrunbungle National Park. The
park is home to a high population of Koala bears,
Roo's & Emu's. Making this one of the most unique
spots on the planet!
http://www.sidingspringexploratory.com.au/
Siding Springs Observatory complex and the small
town of Connabarabran (2700 pop.)are only 30 miles
apart. On the way down the 2 lane road that winds
through gentlemen farms i saw 6 observatory domes
and one roll off roof.
The 3RF had the entire 15 room Warrumbungles
Mountain Lodge booked solid with over 30 astro
heads from OZ, the US and Canada.
http://web.mac.com/anne_adkins/iWeb/Site/Welcome.html
http://www.warrumbungle.com/
http://www.3rf.org/
The Scopes for use on the field for their 5th annual
"Deepest South Texas Star Party" included:
Five 18-inch Obsessions
Two 20-inch Obsessions
Two 25-inch Obsessions
17.5-inch dobsonian
12-inch dobsonian
C-11
Tak 90 with image intensifier
20X100 Powered Binocular Chair
25x150 Fujinon Binoculars
The OZ gang included Tony Buckley, Andrew Murrell,
Lachlen McDonald, John Bambury and Gary Knoff of
Argo Navis. These guys are the big guns in amateur
Australian astronomy! The observing list we went
through was from the LMC/SMC to the star fields
of Sco. & Sag. making for a 10 night, dusk to dawn
photon run that any well seasoned observer would die
for!
To be continued....
Aloha, Lance aka "abellhunter"
http://www.anzaobservatory.com
