Ayers Rock - Getting there was half the fun?

"It's a telescope mirror."

That was my answer to a question I was asked over and over at SFO, LAX, Sydney, Alice Springs, Ayers Rock and Darwin Airports over the last two weeks. My carry-on luggage to Australia consisted of a 12.5 inch mirror box and mirror weighing 35 pounds, and a backpack stuffed with Naglers, telrad, about a dozen rolls of film and batteries, and my mascot, a small stuffed puffin. My checked luggage constisted of Strider, my trusty LITEBOX reflector, truss tube poles, a stepstool, and a very heavy suitcase filled with two cameras, a tripod, Southern sky versions of Uranometria and Webb Society booklets, charts, sketchpads, graphite pencils, bug spray and sunscreen, and thick socks to keep the mossies (mosquitos) from drilling too deep into the flesh, and hats to protect the other end from the desert heat. That's four checked bags and two over-weight limit carry ons. Luck was with me and my mirror was allowed on each flight, although I usually had to show someone what was in the unusual box. Luckily no fingerprints or other mishaps occurred. It was nervewracking each time.

I pretended the mirror was really light, and sort of hid it as I walked on each plane. I used devious methods of diverting attention from my heavy load and it worked every time! My mirror fits nicely under the seat in front of me and even provided an elevated footrest on the long journeys. 32 amateur astronomers converged on Sydney, Australia on Friday April 9th from exotic points around the globe.

Marc and Cecile Salameh flew in via Singapore from Paris. Tom MacGowan from Montgomery, Alabama carted a 20 inch Tectron inspired dob with him. Barry Peckham from Honolulu brought his 15 inch LITEBOX, Tom Czarnecki from Southlake Texas had his 10 inch "dog" dob scope. Bill Williams and nine year old Chad, and Bill and Vickie Janda from Florida were some of the astrophotographers on the trip. John and Jana Gross from Kitt Peak, Arizona left their 33 inch dob at home and travelled with a LX 200. Tom Miller from Nebraska left his 30 incher at home but brought some 25 by 125 Orion Binos instead. He also brought 6 of his family - kids, wife and even mother-in-law! I was the only Californian on the trip. It seemed to me like everyone left their 20 inchers at home. Tony Buckley, president of the New South Wales Astronomical Society and sidekick Lachlan MacDonald met us at Ayers Rock after a 2000 mile 2 day and night drive from Sydney to Rock with a 20 inch Obsession. That made two big scopes to share. Good thing because group organizer Tom Clark (Amateur Astronomy magazine editor and Tectron Telescope owner) was refused passage for his 24 incher after nearly three years of promises from the travel agent and Qantas. The 24 incher sat filled with all his clothing in a air freight warehouse somewhere at the LA airport. Tom travelled to Sydney with an orange plastic bag containing all his clothing - which he had hastily pulled from the scope an hour before takeoff, while his big scope got sent back to Chiefland, Florida. Grounded due to one snafu after another. Tom was not a happy guy as we boarded the Qantas flight.

4 movies and 14 hours later, as we unloaded our gear in Sydney, he was resigned to be a photon moocher for the trip.(He ended up having a really good time) The collection of scopes, binoculars and eyeballs were up to the job. Five near-perfect nights of observing awaited us. First on tap were a couple days in Sydney. We went on a tour of Sydney by harbor cruise, by walking and by visiting the Taronga Zoo and the Aquarium. Our appetites were whetted for the nights ahead. A visit to Mike Smith at his Telescope and Binocular shop in Sydney reminded us of what we came over 14 thousand miles to see. The southern sky! One of the group muttered these words as we turned sharply left - windshield wipers flapping wildly instead of the left turn indicator - and drove to the aboriginal land where we were granted permission to observe:

"Get outta my way, we've got stars to kill!"