Australia - Part 8

Emus and Parkes

There was one last chance to see dark sky during our last overnight stay at Siding Spring Observatory. I got up after the Moon had set at 3:15 am to view the predawn sky without interfering moonlight. Feeling somewhat like an intruder creeping around alone after midnight, I once again took the 10-inch Dobsonian telescope from its storage place and set it up outside on the dirt area below the Anglo-Australian Telescope Dome. I took a look at the telescope's mirror and was appalled to find it mostly covered with dirty deposits! Much to my surprise, the telescope gave very nice views in spite of the grungy mirror appearance. I had managed to obtain the telescope's finderscope, and, with finderscope properly attached, the telescope was properly balanced. Its operation was greatly improved.

Although the Moon had set, and clear sky was very dark, unfortunate clouds covered half the sky. A good-sized patch of clear sky remained only in the southeast, so I pointed the telescope there and explored. I was absolutely thrilled to see the Eta Carinae Nebula and other unidentified star clusters in its vicinity. The v-shaped dark lane through the nebula was clearly obvious.

I should have been better prepared with star maps and lists of objects to observe instead of pointing the telescope randomly around. The water tower next to the Anglo-Australian Telescope Dome was partially blocking the view of clear sky. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to move the telescope or look at more star clusters because clouds moved to cover the entire sky! I gave up and returned the telescope at 5:00 am. Based on my experience using this Dobsonian telescope I'm tempted to buy one for myself.

By the time I got back to our room there really wasn't time to sleep. We packed bags and had breakfast. Before leaving Siding Spring we had one final tour of an old Schmidt telescope led by our expert astronomical guide, Fred Watson. Fred showed us how things were done in the days before digital imaging. Images were made on glass plates and developed in a dark room.

Descending the mountain from Siding Spring we drove through very dry country to an emu farm. These big birds are second in size only to ostriches. Check out the egg sizes seen in this display in the emu farm visitor center.

Why would there be such a thing as an emu farm? Apparently, emu oil, derived from the bird's fat, is a useful product. Some questions and answers about emus were written on the side of a cabinet. (Click on the image to enlarge it and make it easier to read.)

Outside the visitor center relentless, annoying small flies attacked from all angles once again. People walked around waving a hand in front of their face to clear the flies. We learned this hand waving is called "the Australian salute"! Several fenced areas held emus at different stages of growth from hatchlings to adults.

The emus were inexplicably fond of dried out leaves offered as food. C enjoyed feeding the birds as they pecked vigorously.

We stood very close to these enormous birds and were invited to enter the enclosure to stand among the jostling beasts. The birds were really big, pushy, pecking, and so alien that neither of us had the courage to go in. A farm employee would grab a particularly pushy bird by the neck to move it away - something I doubt I would be prepared to do!

After leaving the emu farm we drove through parched country to the town of Parkes. The whole surrounding area was experiencing a historically prolonged drought. When we arrived at our motel in Parkes I was completely exhausted and wanted nothing more than to get some sleep. Sleep was impossible because we were soon leaving for a drive to the Parkes Radio Telescope. As we boarded the bus a blowing dust storm turned the sky orange.

The Parkes Radio Telescope is famous for its role in the Apollo 11 moon landing. The historic video of Neil Armstrong's first step on the Moon was transmitted first through the Parkes radio dish and then out around the world. The dish is also a functioning research instrument for radio astronomy.

As we walked outside toward our scheduled tour of the dish we were again assaulted by relentless flies. The tour was led by an enthusiastic expert guide who was knowledgeable and articulate. He gave wonderful explanations of the extremely precise radio astronomy work done here. Hard hats were required to enter the area around the dish. Our group was ready to go in the picture below.

During the tour we stood in the control room where radio pulses from a pulsar were being received in real time as we watched!

After the dish tour we walked back to the visitor center for dinner. A big flock of galah cockatoos flew around the site and landed on a lawn near us. Other colorful green and red parrots also grazed on the lawn, but it was impossible to get pictures.

Indian food was served for dinner. It was mostly too spicy for me, so I passed along bowls and only nibbled some rice and bread. After dinner a well meant but embarrassing surprise birthday celebration was held for me. The embarrassment was worth it because I was able to eat an enormous piece of cake to make up for not eating much dinner. By the time dinner was over the Sun had set.

The dust filled sky had cleared somewhat after dinner although it was still hazy. An 8-inch Dobsonian telescope was brought outside into the light polluted area near the visitor center. Eventually, the telescope was set up in working order. I could see Crux, the Southern Cross, still visible above the horizon, so I requested a look at the Jewel Box star cluster. There it was! I was thrilled to see this colorful sprinkling of stars for the first time! I also saw globular cluster 47 Tucanae once more. This was another time when I wish I was better prepared with a list of possible viewing targets. In particular, I wish I had a few double stars to suggest because they show up well even when sky conditions aren't ideal. Glaring lights were impossible to avoid, however. It was getting late, so we had to leave and return to our motel.