For those who don't know, I flew to San Diego at the end of June for a week-long conference on astronomical instrumentation. It was a huge, overwhelming affair with hundreds of attendees from all over the world. One of my advisors was also there, and with talks during each morning and afternoon, a poster session in the evening - and then usually a late dinner - it was a full-on affair, and half-way through I admit I was ready for it to be over. But overall it was a great experience, and my advisor introduced me to many of the people in the field working on similar projects to mine.
An unexpected treat was that the conference organized bus trips to Palomar Mountain for a tour of the 200-inch telescope there. This telescope, when it was completed in 1949, was the largest telescope in the world (and stayed that way for about 25 years.)
It is a very impressive instrument, with a design that combines high precision with the look of elegant simplicity. In the days when astronomers used photographic plates, the astronomer using the telescope would actually sit inside the white-looking tube at the top of the telescope, and ride around with the telescope as it was pointed at different areas of the sky.
After the conference I caught a flight to Ontario to visit with family and friends. It's funny to me that I now consider California 'close to home', being only a 'short' 5 hour flight away. When I arrived, Southern Ontario was in the middle of the first heat wave of the summer - something I didn't mind too much at all coming from winter in the Southern Hemisphere!
After a few days at home, I was back in the air, flying Toronto-Vancouver, Vancouver-Auckland, and then Auckland-Wellington. Just over 24 hours of travel time later, I was back at our home in Wellington, and presented AK with a huge bag of Canadian candy. This was much appreciated - even though it was the cause of several tummy-aches over the next few days until it was all gone.
It is a very impressive instrument, with a design that combines high precision with the look of elegant simplicity. In the days when astronomers used photographic plates, the astronomer using the telescope would actually sit inside the white-looking tube at the top of the telescope, and ride around with the telescope as it was pointed at different areas of the sky.After the conference I caught a flight to Ontario to visit with family and friends. It's funny to me that I now consider California 'close to home', being only a 'short' 5 hour flight away. When I arrived, Southern Ontario was in the middle of the first heat wave of the summer - something I didn't mind too much at all coming from winter in the Southern Hemisphere!
After a few days at home, I was back in the air, flying Toronto-Vancouver, Vancouver-Auckland, and then Auckland-Wellington. Just over 24 hours of travel time later, I was back at our home in Wellington, and presented AK with a huge bag of Canadian candy. This was much appreciated - even though it was the cause of several tummy-aches over the next few days until it was all gone.
Steve, if you are ever in the Upper Midwest U.S.A. again. I advise going to the Yerkes. http://astro.uchicago.edu/yerkes/
ReplyDeleteLloyde Dees
better late than never....
ReplyDeletethat telescope looks incredible steve...you look pretty little in front of it. LOVE the candy picture. I can just picture AK digging in...and not being able to stop. I had that problem yesterday with swedish feet....not good! tummy ACHE!
miss you guys!