This day was really packed with lots and lots of activities and at 9:30pm we met at the Town Square again and were lead to a set-up dark site nearby behind the car park. The tour guide explained some basic things about the Outback Sky and why it is so special: there is almost no light pollution in the Outback and it is very flat. Therefore you see about 3000-4000 stars with your naked eye! And it was an incredible sky, I can tell you. We were lucky as the moon was not up, absolutely no clouds whatsoever and it was very cool at about 25 degrees Celsius! With the help of a green laser pointer, two high-tech telescopes, some binoculars and an iPad with the StarWalkApp we learned a lot about the stars, planets, galaxies, the constellations, the birth and death of suns and so on. Here a picture that I took of the iPad.
We could ask the guide whatever we wanted and he always had a sufficient and scientific answer to it and yet he explained it in a simple, understandable way. He was pacing up and down the area like a professor and patiently pointed everything out. It was incredible what we learned in just 90 minutes. Our camera is in no way good enough to take a picture of the sky. You just have to see it for yourself, it is absolutely worth it.
After the tour I also showed the star charts from my friends Elina and Karlis to him (see here: My Checklist #7) and he explained quickly how to use it as a very basic tool. I can certainly recommend this tour, this was a lot more fun than I had expected.
Well, good
Night everyone. We have to get up even earlier the next day (NOOOO!!!) for our
next stop: Kings Canyon!
Yours
stars-in-the-outback-watching Stefanie
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Have your say now! Would you do the same thing or would you do it differently? Do you have any travel tipps for me for my onwards travels? let me know!