Transit of Mercury

Clouds Limit Observation

Mercury passed in front of the Sun on November 11th. It was probably the last transit I'll observe in my lifetime. There will be Mercury transits in 2032 and 2039, but these will not be visible from Virginia. The next transit visible from Virginia will be on May 7, 2049.

I got up early to have all my equipment ready when the transit was predicted to start at 7:35 am. The temperature near sunrise was about 47 degrees, and there was no wind. Unfortunately, the sky was nearly covered by a combination of contrails and thin clouds as you can see in the satellite picture below. My observing location is marked with a small red dot. 

Clouds weren't thick enough to entirely block the Sun, but they made imaging difficult. In spite of my best efforts I missed the moment of ingress. By the time I was ready to capture images, it was 7:40 am. No matter, the seeing was absolutely terrible. Although Mercury's black disc was visible near the solar limb on my laptop monitor, its warped, contorting shape was swimming around. The limb looked like a waving rope. No amount of image processing would remove these blurry distortions.

Atmospheric steadiness increased gradually as morning progressed. I continued capturing video clips hoping one of them would catch a few cloud free moments. At 9:05 am I recorded a cloudless 400 video frames over 44 seconds. After stacking the 40 best frames and further processing, the following image emerged as my only decent picture. Mercury is a well-defined black dot on the right with an apparent angular diameter of about 10 arc seconds. 

The featureless solar disc had no sunspots or filaments. Therefore, Mercury always appeared against a nearly homogeneous background of disc spicules. Other Mercury images I captured were flawed in some way and not worth display. 

Only one other image from this day was worthwhile. A small eruption was visible on the southeastern solar limb. The next picture shows the outburst. There are also three barely visible vertical bands in the image that remain after a flawed flat field calibration. 

The eruption above was associated with a small, newly emerged sunspot which rotated into view in the next couple of days. This quickly dying sunspot was a member of the next solar cycle which will slowly begin producing more sunspots in coming years.

Clouds can be so frustrating! The sky was completely clear all day on the day before the transit, and the sky unexpectedly cleared almost immediately after the transit ended! During the transit itself, however, bad luck!  

Australia - Part 9

Canberra

We left Parkes after breakfast and began a journey toward Canberra. Only two days remained in our Australia tour. Sinus and bronchial congestion continued to plague me along with intermittent coughing and fatigue. 

Our first stop was an interesting fossil fish museum in Canowindra. The fossils were from Late Devonian times, more than 360 million years ago. According to museum posters, the fossils all come from one layer of rock first discovered in 1956 during road construction. Apparently, a large pool of water dried up killing the fishes. Many of them were placoderms, or armored fishes.

Fossils were jumbled together. Adjacent posters identified the species present. The next set of images show some of the rock slabs and their accompanying informative posters. If you click on the posters to enlarge them, they will be easier to read.

The next display speculated about the cause of the fossils' appearance.

This next slab had a well preserved rear section with tail fins clearly visible.

I purchased two agate slices in the museum shop to add to my rock collection. Then we boarded our bus and continued toward Canberra. My energy level continued dropping. I wanted to sleep.

Eventually, we stopped at a winery for a large lunch. After eating, C went to a wine tasting while I walked, coughing, slowly around the grounds in nice, sunny, spring weather. I was amused to see kids tossing a rugby ball between them and carrying cricket bats. Slow walking in warm sunshine made me drowsy. I came upon this extremely nasty tree with hard, spiky, thorn-like leaves on every surface.

After lunch we drove on and finally arrived in Canberra, Australia's capital city, where it was cold and windy. Before going to our hotel we had a brief bus tour of parks, embassies, and government buildings. Our evening was free to roam and find dinner on our own. Normally, I would have been eager to walk around and explore the city near our hotel, but I had no energy. C went walking alone. She found most places closed for a national holiday. I skipped dinner in the evening, eating only some cheez-its and cookies. I went to bed early and slept 10 to 11 hours. I really needed it.

In the morning I felt a little better, but wasn't sure how long I would last in the coming day. Another wonderful hotel breakfast buffet helped perk me up. Our first stop after breakfast was the Australian National Museum. A dinosaur named Muttaburrasaurus was mounted in the museum lobby. It lived in Australia 100 to 110 million years ago. The fossilized bones were discovered in 1963.

The museum had many excellent exhibits explaining disastrous consequences of invasive species in Australia. I also enjoyed the astounding video of an amazing, clunky, heavy jeep used to capture water buffalo. The driver, looking like Crocodile Dundee, would drive the jeep next to a running buffalo. Then a big mechanical claw could reach out from the side of the jeep and wrap around the buffalo's neck.

Examples of beautifully preserved antique scientific equipment were also on display. The next picture shows a 6-inch refractor from the 1880's once used in Australia by someone named W.J. Macdonnell. He paid 250 pounds for it at the time. According to the museum label, this is equivalent to about $30,000 today.

After our time in the National Museum we drove about 25 miles southwest to the Canberra Deep Space Complex. This collection of radio dishes is one member of NASA's Deep Space Network which communicates with interplanetary spacecraft. The three network members are spread around the world at locations roughly 120 longitude degrees apart. In addition to the Canberra Complex, another is located in Spain about 37 miles west of Madrid at Robledo de Chavela, and another, the Goldstone Complex, is located about 45 miles northeast of Barstow, California, USA. These radio dishes receive signals from Voyager 1, the Mars Curiosity Rover, and the Juno Jupiter mission, among others.

After a security check at the entrance we drove to one end of the complex to see this panoramic view. (Click on the panorama to get a better, larger view.)

Directly behind us at the site shown in the previous panorama was this dish.

We next stopped at an old, non-operating historical dish once used to transmit data from the Apollo 11 moon mission. All the while it was cold, windy, and spitting rain. I was coughing, weak, and sleepy, so I stayed on bus while the rest of the group braved the weather outside to hear a talk about the historic dish. We then moved on to visit the control room where signals from active spacecraft were being received in real time.

We passed this beautiful large dish silhouetted against dark clouds on the way back to our bus after the tour.

We left the Canberra Deep Space Complex and drove back toward Canberra with a stop at Mount Stromlo Observatory on the way. A group of large kangaroos watched us pass on the drive up the mountain road. Once again, it was impossible to get photos from the moving bus.

Brutal, cold, windy, weather greeted us at the mountaintop along with pelting rain. Although Mount Stromlo Observatory was largely ruined by a wildfire in 2003, some modern domes still exist there.

This large dome was full of junk and apparently unused.

Ruined, rusting equipment lay around.

The next image shows one of the ruined domes.

I was glad to return to the warm bus after my brief picture taking expedition outside.

We then drove back to our Canberra hotel. In the evening our tour group shared a final dinner at a local restaurant. Once again, it was hard for me to hear conversation in the noisy room. We would all be going our separate ways the next day, so there were many farewells.

Next morning we had our last magnificent hotel breakfast buffet and boarded a bus for the long 4-hour drive to Sydney airport where the usual airport/airplane madness began. I had a westward facing window seat on the first flight from Sydney to Brisbane and was able to capture some nice sunset pictures over a span of 28 minutes. The next 6 images show sunset and the gradual appearance of Venus and Mercury as twilight deepened. Venus is brighter and closer to the horizon. Mercury is dimmer and above Venus.

When finally seated on our second flight from Brisbane to Los Angeles it had been 12 hours since we left the hotel in Canberra. Now we flew over the Pacific to Los Angeles. As wheels touched down in LA 24 hours and 50 minutes had elapsed since leaving Canberra. A long 8-hour layover was endured in LA. Then, after 32 hours of elapsed travel time, we lifted off from LA on our third flight to Philadelphia. Five hours later we arrived in Philadelphia with one last flight remaining. A mercifully short fourth flight then took us to the Newport News Airport and final release from airport hell. By the time we drove home we had been traveling for 41 hours since leaving Canberra!

My desire to see the southern sky on this trip was only partially satisfied. On the plus side, I identified eight new constellations by direct sight overhead and found even more indirectly later in images I captured. I also saw nine new celestial objects, three of these through telescopes. But there was so much more unseen! My biggest disappointment was inability to see the Milky Way high overhead in a dark sky. Clouds were partly to blame. We had some rotten luck with clouds. The tour was scheduled during a waxing Moon which added its increasing glare as the days passed. The glaring Moon was also unfortunately located in the middle of the brightest central portion of the Milky Way.

Now we are back in Virginia with familiar trees, birds, insects, animals, constellations, and driving customs. Our visit to Australia was wonderful and full of new unforgettable experiences! It was a privilege to see the different world in Australia! 

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.

Australia - Part 7

Near Siding Spring

After our first night and morning at Siding Spring Observatory we left the mountaintop for visits to nearby attractions. First, we went for lunch at Pillaga Pottery, a quaint, charming, isolated compound far off the main road. To get there we drove about 10 kilometers on a rough, washboard dirt road which gave our bus a terrific shaking. The next picture shows the view from my seat as we drove along. 

I suddenly saw movement on the road ahead. It was a goanna lizard scurrying across the road from left to right. My hasty photo through the smeared windshield barely shows the creature in this enlarged image.

I was on the wrong side of the bus to see the lizard's escape. One member of our tour, I don't know who, was on the right side and took the next two good images. The goanna ran under a fence and began climbing a tree.

You can see the lizard better in the next two cropped and enlarged pictures.

At last we arrived at Pillaga Pottery where we had really excellent thin crust pizza served in the rustic cafe dining room.

The pottery shop adjacent to the cafe had beautiful items for sale.

After lunch we traveled on to visit naturally eroded sandstone cliffs and caves where aborigines resided long ago. An expert guide led us on a hike around the colorful stone. 

This hike was the low point of the trip for me - but not because the sandstone was uninteresting, or the tour guide boring. It was because my lingering sore throat, congestion, and overall fatigue made walking along the hot and dusty trail an unpleasant chore .

There was another source of misery. All along the trail swarms of incredibly persistent, irritating, small flies plagued us. Insect repellent was ineffective. Flies were landing on my face, crawling near my eyes, buzzing in my ears, and attempting to go up my nose. The only escape was to hold a jacket wrapped completely around my head and neck. I left the smallest possible opening in front of my eyes so I could navigate the hiking trail. Needless to say, I was soaked with sweat from the heat/jacket combination. I thought the hike would never end. The next picture shows the back of my jacket with 24 flies just waiting to bug me!

Even more disturbing is this picture of another member of our group as we returned to our bus. I count 66 flies hitching a ride on his back!

Eventually, mercifully, the hike was over. I and my soaked t-shirt made a beeline for the air conditioned bus and spent time there revenge killing flies who followed us onto the bus.

We next drove to the visitor center at Warrumbungle National Park for dinner. I finally saw a number of wild kangaroos along the way. When we got off the bus several wild kangaroos were watching us just a few feet away. They hopped away when we approached closer.

We ate dinner outside the visitor center. Thank goodness the nasty flies disappeared at sunset. Before complete darkness set in we had this view of several kangaroos grazing as we sat at the dinner table. These kangaroos were not within a fenced enclosure. The foreground fence was erected to keep kangaroos from eating vegetation close to the visitor center.

Warrumbungle National Park has been designated as an International Dark Sky Park, the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere. During dinner we could see some brighter stars overhead, but lots of clouds, light from the visitor center, and moonlight made serious observing impossible.

After dinner we returned to the mountaintop at Siding Spring Observatory. On the drive up the mountain lots of kangaroos were visible in headlights along the roadside. This was to be our last night at the Astronomer's Lodge.