Something else to rave about.....
Posted 19-06-2008 at 12:06 PM by Welshgirl
Remember my blog about Balloons Over Waikato - well, I'm excited about something else now! Last night, we went to the local observatory in Hamilton http://www.has.org.nz/index.html (bit of a basic site, but you get the idea). Never been to anything like it before, so was just expecting to hear a short talk and maybe see the moon and a few stars through a telescope - how wrong was I?! It was one of the most fascinating things I have ever been to in my life - we saw Mars, Jupiter & Saturn (and its moons!), different constellations including the Southern Cross, galaxies.... it was mind-blowing! Never thought of myself as a star-gazer before, although I've always been interested in space and the planets, but I think we're going to become members and make a regular thing of it. Kids who join get to make their own telescope, it's loads of fun for them. I tell ya what, it is bizarre just how much is above you that you don't think about on a day to day basis, but is just fascinating! I'd highly recommend giving it a go, if there's an observatory local to you - you will not believe your eyes when you see Saturn, its rings and its moons as clear as a bell right in front of your eyes 
Total Comments 5
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Book us in for our next visit downunder
 . I was amazed at the number of stars I could see just with my naked eye, so viewing from an observatory with proper equipment must be quite awesome. How do you look at them i.e. are you sitting down and tilted backwards or do you look up through a telescope? Just wondering how my neck would cope with straining to look upwards. Hubster reckons it's the tilted chair scenario, which would help support my neck. There's a planetarium here that we intended to visit when Taffy's bro and family were here but it was closed unfortunately. It was geared towards kids with stories and cartoons so not sure if 2 lone adults would get as much out of it. |
Posted 19-06-2008 at 07:40 PM by MotherBear
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Well, first of all we went upstairs in the observatory and viewed the moon through a static telescope - you can sit on a chair to do this, the eyepiece is pretty much straight in front of your eyes then - if you weren't sitting, you had to bend down.
Next, we went outside (note to self: dress a LOT warmer next time!) and there were 2 mobile telescopes. They were moved around a lot as they focussed on different things - sometimes you had to stand on a stepladder to view, sometimes you had to bend down.... depended on where the telescope was aimed at the time! The guys there were fantastic - very informative and knowledgeable, and more than happy to discuss the finer points of galaxies and milky ways We'll take you as our Guests next time you're down this way MB |
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Posted 19-06-2008 at 10:13 PM by Welshgirl
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Sounds fab. There is an observatory in Oxford where we are going to live. We will definitely give it a go.
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Posted 20-06-2008 at 07:44 AM by nickydwuk
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Thanks for the info, WG. Sounds like it will be well worth a visit even if it does my neck in. Perhaps they'll let me lie on the floor and look up, which is more neck-friendly. Everyone can just step over me then
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Posted 20-06-2008 at 09:26 PM by MotherBear
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Good stuff! I love star gazing, though being on the foggy coast has caused me to nearly forget what the heavenly bodies look like.
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Posted 23-06-2008 at 05:32 PM by selchie
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Recent Blog Entries by Welshgirl
- Something else to rave about..... (19-06-2008)
- Shall I or shan't I? (18-05-2008)
- Now feeling very sad.... (05-05-2008)
- Feeling a little sad..... (04-05-2008)
- Balloons over Waikato (13-04-2008)
