The members of Einstein were lucky enough to visit Mount Stromlo Observatory during the National Youth Science Forum. The visit was fascinating. On arrival we were shown into a lecture theatre and were treated to a slide show of amazing images from our galaxy and the galaxies beyond. We saw spectacular images of nebulae, star clusters and other astronomical phenomena that had been captured by the Mount Stromlo and Hubble telescopes. Some learnt a lot about light emissions and tools astronomers use to work with colour from specific stars, which indicate what elements the stars are burning, while others enjoyed the pretty pictures and comfortable chairs! The lecturer was interesting, quirky and very funny (some might say your regular astronomer!) and we all enjoyed the talk and accompanying slide show immensely.

The dome of the 74 inch telescope

After the talk we were taken on a tour of the Mount Stromlo site and the telescopes. In particular we saw the 54 inch telescope, originally from Melbourne. We then saw the largest telescope at Mount Stromlo, the very impressive 74 inch telescope. We learnt how it works in cooperation with its computer, some of the projects it has been used for and saw how it was manoeuvred. It was a massive piece of equipment with a very powerful lens and was really quite amazing. Our tour guide told us humorous stories about incidents when the dome top had been left open overnight only to find a drenched telescope in the morning and while attempting to move the telescope experiencing some mighty collisions with the dome wall.

The telescope from inside the dome

That night we returned to Mount Stromlo observatory to try our hands at some stargazing. We used smaller, portable telescopes and had a beautiful clear night to observe. We were able to see Jupiter and four of its moons including, Ganymede, Io and Callisto. We also saw Saturn surrounded by its beautiful rings and some of its moons. The Orion nebula, Tarantula nebula and Globular Cluster were also visible in the night sky. The astronomers trusted us with high quality telescopes and the breathtaking sights we were privileged to see were an unforgettable experience. While we were there, two PhD students were using the 74 inch telescope for their research projects. This gave us an opportunity to be able to speak to them and find out what they were doing and how they were enjoying life as a PhD student. Unfortunately the night had to end and we boarded the bus a bit sleepy and a bit cold but in awe of the night's star gazing activity.

Our time at Mount Stromlo was an incredible experience, one of many at the National Youth Science Forum which we will never forget.

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