Tour The Dish
Parkes Observatory Open Days
Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 September 2007
As an operating facility it is not practical to normally offer public tours of the Parkes telescope. Public tours are only offered at open days. The 2007 Open Days on September 22 and 23 were the biggest ever with almost 2000 people touring the telescope and 3500 people visiting the observatory over the two days.
Read what we planned and promoted for the 2007 open days
Find out when the next open days are
If you weren't able to make these dates you can get a close look at the telescope at the visitors centre and dish cafe, open every day except Christmas and Boxing Days.
ABC Broadcast from the Open Days
Bruce Reynolds and ABC Central West broadcasted live from the Open Days on the Saturday morning. Hear a telescope tour, interviews with staff and astronomers and see photos of the weekend at the ABC's feature.
Credit: Shaun Amy, CSIRO
Bruce Reynolds interviews CSIRO ATNF Deputy Director Dr Lewis Ball
Credit: Shaun Amy, CSIRO
CSIRO Parkes Observatory Officer in Charge Dr John Reynolds being interviewed during the ABC broadcast from the open days
Slides from talks
Future of Radio Astronomy in Australia - Dr Lewis Ball - Download slides (PDF 3.4MB)
see here for the talk synopsis
Central West Astronomical Society
See the society's web site for photos of their display and telescopes where many visitors had a closer look at the night and day sky.
Web cam movies
These are MP4 time-lapse-movies of the open days from our web camera. See our web camera page for more movies. You can see the tour groups move around the telescope while it is in operation. On Saturday night the dish is lit up by large flood lights and you might be able to see the movie The Dish playing behind the three lights to the left of the tower.
Saturday 22 September Download (MP4, 42Mb) 24 hours to 8am 23/09/07
Sunday 23 September Download (MP4, 42Mb) 24 hours to 8am 24/09/07
Photos
Telescope tours
Credit: Shaun Amy, CSIRO
A tour group inspects the counterweight and elevation drive motors from the azimuth track
Credit: Shaun Amy, CSIRO
Parkes Observatory receiver group technician Mr Ken Reeves points out to his tour group where on the telescope the tour will go
Credit: John Sarkissian, CSIRO
A group inspects the azimuth drive motors on the Parkes telescope
Credit: Tom Lees, CSIRO
CSIRO ATNF Assistant Director of Operations Dr Dave McConnell explains the difference between an optical and radio telescope
Credit: Tom Lees, CSIRO
Parkes Observatory operations scientist Mr John Sarkissian explains how sources of radio energy such as mobile telephones, electronic equipment and aircraft interfere with the telescope's observations
Credit: John Sarkissian, CSIRO
So popular were the telescope tours, especially on Saturday, some people waited patiently in line for two hours
Credit: John Sarkissian, CSIRO
Parkes Observatory digital electronics group technician Brett Preisig explains the operation of the Observatory's Hydrogen MASER atomic clock and its importance to the use of the telescope
Credit: John Sarkissian, CSIRO
CSIRO ATNF deputy director Dr Lewis Ball points out the PDP11 computer that controls the telescope's electric motors
The Dish by The Dish
Thanks to permission from Working Dog Productions, visitors were able to see the hit movie The Dish by the Dish.
Credit: Dennis Crute, CWAS
The telescope-both movie star and astronomical star. Three flood lights light up the dish surface. These lights are not normally used during observations.
Credit: Shaun Amy, CSIRO
An older Cliff (Sam Neil) admires the telescope in the movie The Dish while the real thing conducts astronomical observations
Credit: Shaun Amy, CSIRO
Some of the three hundred people who watched The Dish by the Dish
Credit: John Sarkissian, CSIRO
The crowd enjoy the famous cricket scene
Credit: John Sarkissian, CSIRO
As the movie begins the telescope starts to slew around to the left.
Credit: John Sarkissian, CSIRO
Glenn (Tom Long) and Cliff (Sam Neil) on the Dish with the Dish
Helicopter Scenic flights
Heliservices Newcastle and Hunter and their five-seat Bell Jetranger 206B Helicopter was kept busy over the weekend taking visitors on scenic flights within the telescope's restricted airspace.
Credit: Shaun Amy, CSIRO
The telescope from a scenic flight. In the distance are the Herveys ranges that help protect the telescope from radio interference
Credit: Shaun Amy, CSIRO
The telescope and view towards Parkes, which lies beyond low hills that also protect the telescope from radio interference
Credit: John Sarkissian, CSIRO
The helicopter was kept busy with many people waiting to take flights
Credit: John Sarkissian, CSIRO
The Bell Jet Ranger takes off