Blue Mountains Startrails
Approx. 150 miles from Sydney you'll find clear dark skies!
I've spend a couple of days in the Blue Mountains area and just imagine..... in the middle of nowhere.......
you coincidently find a fellow stargazer using the same rare equipment you do.....
A camera dealer (I was out looking for slide film - NEVER go to Australia without it! - very expensive!!!),
told me that there is a public observatory in town, but only opened a few hours per week.
Please don't blame me, but I had to get there and Roger, who runs this observatoty at his private home,
was quite surprised having a visitor at his door at 09:00p.m. - but gave me my first ever views of the southern hemisphere !
To my very surprise his C11 was mounted on a Losmandy GM100 - yeeaaahhaaa - saw that one before :-)
He spend over two hours showing me the southern beauties - my everlasting thanks for this evening !
The shot above was taking while observing - a 40 mintues exposure on a fixed tripod
If you are around the Blue Mountains area you shouldn't miss:
KINGS TABLELAND OBSERVATORY
PHONE (02) 4757 2954
(please ask for opening times - not the way I did.....!!!)
Equipment:
Camera: Canon EOS300
Lens: Tamron 28-80mm f/3,5
Film: Kodak Elitechrome 200
Exposure: 40 minutes
Date: April 2003
© 2004 Aike M. Voelker