Open Day at The Dish

[den]

Parkes Radio Telescope had an open day, so I headed over. I've been there before, of course, but this time they were doing guided tours inside the dish.

I went into the support tower, through the control room, around the azimuth track. under the 450 ton counterweight, into the "cable wrap," down the spiral staicase in the centre of the structure, past the observation room ("This is where the astronomers work. Don't feed them") past the computer room and out again. Photos to come.

I finished the tour with a steak and Guinness pie and capuccino.

Not a bad way to spend a morning.

Comments

[ounceofreason.livejournal.com]

I toured a radio telescope facility a couple of years ago (as a student trip), but it was sort of the reverse of your experience - we got to hang out in the scientist area (still no feeding allowed), but only got to see the outside of the telescope.

Yours was better!

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

They had a display of a new SKA to be built in West Aus. It looked rather cool.

Although, I was expecting it to be called a Km^2 Array, but the politicians who issue the funding wouldn't understand that name.