Siding Spring Observatory is Australia's largest optical astronomy research facility, located 27 kilometres west of Coonabarabran on the edge of the Warrumbungle National Park.
The site was chosen for its favourable combination of conditions: high elevation (1160 metres above sea level), low humidity, a non-turbulent atmosphere for viewing clarity, clean air, plus an average of 70% of night skies clear.
There were also stunning views over the Warrumbungles, and it was freezingly cold.
While we were there some black clouds rolled in – maybe it wasn’t going to be a good viewing night.
Siding Spring Observatory is Australia’s premier facility for optical and infra-red astronomy. The Observatory has several telescopes on the site including the world famous 3.9m Anglo-Australian Telescope – although I had to admit I hadn’t heard of it. But that is one of the reasons to travel – to learn new things.
The Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) is a 3.9 m telescope ranked fifth out of the world's optical telescopes, and considered the most scientifically productive optical telescope in the world. The telescope was commissioned in 1974 with a view to allowing high quality observations of the sky from the southern hemisphere, as in the 1970s most major telescopes were located in the north.
The AAT is jointly funded by Australia and the United Kingdom, with observing time made available to astronomers worldwide. It was one of the first telescopes to be fully computer-controlled, and set new standards for pointing and tracking accuracy.
There was a visitors’ centre there which promised all kinds of hands-on activities, but we were there before it opened, and didn’t have time to wait. This little fellow wasn’t able to give us much information.
I wasn’t sure if this was a viewing platform, a sculpture or another telescope, and there was no one there to tell us. So at this point it remains a mystery.
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