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Yes, once again it's time that the mountain
is deluged with telescopes of all shapes and sizes. The occasion of course is
Stargazers 
Week,
and the word deluge is often used at this time, as cloud and rain is often never
far from telescopes, though the Lords of Foul Weather were kind to us once again.
Guests and staff of O'Reilly's Rainforest Guesthouse were treated to clear nights
for all but two, and on only one morning was Jupiter and Saturn hidden from
view. There was a great range of telescopes as well; Peter Bobroff (of the Herald-Bobroff
Star Atlas fame) brought his 20 inch `scope from Canberra, the O'Reilly's 8
inch LX200, Brendan Downs brought his C5 and his 12 inch LX200, Nev Johnson
with his C8, and Anne-Louise and I used our 4 inch Unitron, together with our
10x50 binoculars on a purpose built mount.
The
nights at O'Reilly's seldom disappoint those that make the effort to venture
outside (and during the winter, it is a large effort). The center of the Home
Galaxy stretches directly overhead, and the Magellanic Clouds rising in the
southeast, while the Cross follows Eta Carina to the southwest. The southern
sky is blessed with all manner of deep sky objects; globular and open clusters,
bright nebulae, double stars and bright galaxies.
The planets were a bit scarce until the
early morning, when the big planets were well placed in Taurus, between the
Pleiades (the Seven Sisters or Subaru if you wish) and the Hyades star cluster,
the vee-shaped head of Taurus. For members of the Dawn Patrol, the seeing was
beautiful and steady as the sun was rising, allowing plenty of detail in the
cloud bands of Jupiter to be seen, along with a wonderful view of Saturn, the
rings spread like a peacocks tail. For those getting up for the Dawn Patrol,
there is the added bonus of getting that early morning cup of tea or coffee,
then going on the Bird Walk, returning in time for breakfast. After breakfast
guests are able to continue observing into the morning with views of the sunspots
through filters and projection on to a screen, and Peter introduced guests to
solar spectroscopy with his spectrograph. Nev is a wizard with the C8 and is
able to produce views of the planets and stars all through the day, surprising
many guests.
If the planets were scarce, at least in the evening, what could be said of that other great endeavor that occurs at the Guesthouse… Oreilly spotting. Barely nine sightings were recorded for the first three days of Stargazers Week, and two of those were unconfirmed sightings of a Timoreilly on the road outside the Guesthouse, and near the Duck Creek road turnoff on Day Three, August 1st. It appears that the Shaneoreilly has become a migratory species; reliable sources inform us that a confirmed sighting of a Shaneoreilly had been made in California en route to Colorado.
On this page is a table of sightings of various species of the Oreilly. You will note that early in the Week few observations were made, while toward the end of Stargazers, a plethora of sightings were recorded, together with some observation notes.
O'Reilly's
Rainforest Guesthouse really has it all. With an elevation of 900 metres it
offers clean skies within a short drive of Brisbane and the Gold Coast, wonderful
food, friendly staff, wonderful food, walking tracks through the National Park
to spectacular falls, abundant wildlife, and did I mention the food?
Stargazers Week 2001 will run from the 22nd to the 26th of July, and in this year we will be treated to views of Mars, not seen at Previous Stargazers. The planet will be only one month past opposition, presenting a large disk in the telescopes. Jupiter and Saturn will again be fodder for the Dawn Patrol, rising in thes wee hours. The telescopes themselves are worth talking about. Peter and Judy will once again journey to the oasis that is O'Reilly's, bringing their 20-inch telescope. Peter Robbins is participating in his first Stargazers with his 20-inch Obsession (that is the name of the telescope, not his demeanor). We also expect to have Nev again and his C8 showing us daytime stars, Brendan and his 12-inch LX200, and the O'Reilly's `scope. Perhaps a pair of friends and their 16-inch will join us for their maiden Stargazers, as well as Anne-Louise and myself with our 4-inch Unitron and binoculars.
Well enough of this, I think I will duck outside and watch Taurus and its entourage of planets rise over the neighbors roof. Perhaps we can chat again when you see us at Stargazers Week 2001?
Cheers for now,
Tony