By Bonnie and Bill Neely
While we were at Lake Tekapo in the center of New Zealand's South Island we drove up to the Astro Cafe on Mount John, where we had good food and spectacular views of the surrounding Southern Alps and lakes of MacKenzie Southern Basin Flats. We were there for the Earth and Sky night tour to see one of the largest telescopes in the world. No other observatory on earth is situated so far south. It would be exciting to learn from the guide about the stars and constellations of the Southern Hemisphere, many of which we cannot see above the equator.
The location for the telescope on Mount John was chosen because it is at 3,376 feet. This means it is high above any artificial lights and has the darkest atmosphere of any place near the bottom of the world. The nearly pollution-free air provides more clear nights than any other location, and weather is mostly good for viewing, although wind is always a factor.
At this location scientists and students from Canterbury University search the universe as far away as 11 billion light-years, and workers are on continual search for other life in the universe. Many computers constantly collect the data and images from the telescope and help interpret and catalog it for the world's scientists. The Earth and Sky Tour is scheduled most nights for two hours at 9:30 p.m. and 2 a.m. Visitors spend the first half-hour at the observatory learning about the giant telescope and the rest star-gazing through other telescopes.
The night we were there the wind speed was hovering around 46 to 48 miles per hour, so we could only hope for the best since the mountain must be evacuated if wind speeds reach 50 miles per hour. The guide offered coats to anyone who needed them. On the English-speaking tour there are no translations, as tours in other languages are offered at other times. The guides told us to hold hands with our partners as the wind is ferocious. We followed her instructions and hastened in the near darkness with the others into the shelter of the round building that houses the largest telescope in the Southern Hemisphere. Our guide, Carol, an advanced student from Canterbury University, was experienced and knowledgeable. She told us all about the giant telescope, which reached almost to the domed ceiling that opens to varying degrees so the telescope can search the universe. The telescope is on special legs that will not stay rigidly attached to the floor because during one of the many earthquakes in this area it would shake to destruction. Instead it is perched in such a way as to move around within the close confines of the room.
Although the location chosen for this observatory is on the Alpine Fault, which is overdue to cause destruction at any time, it was carefully selected for its darkness because the atmosphere at Mount John is high above the closest lights from the little Lake Tekapo town. Here the atmosphere is clear of pollution and stray lights and has more clear nights than any other place in New Zealand.
Carol gave each of us small red lights to see our way around the mountain as we moved as a group and were given strict instructions of NO white lights (camera flash, flashlights or cell phones). Any tiny ray of extraneous white light could ruin what the scientists are observing on the computers connected to the gigantic telescopes as they work from control rooms in several buildings that dot this mountain. Even the bus for the tours must use only the smallest light for navigation.
Since the 1980s, when the camera on the telescope was the largest in the world with more than 83 pixels, the scientists and students have discovered and confirmed 44 previously undiscovered planets. Each night when the ceiling is opened for the observations they first take a photo of the existing "noise," which consists of dust particles, clouds or moonlight that could distort the faraway observations. Then the noise can be filtered away from each scientific photo collected to be sure observations and conclusions are accurate.
We were learning so much, but the wind was louder and louder outside until our guide got the dreaded call: Evacuate the mountain immediately because winds had reached 50 mph and people could be blown off the mountain. This rule is strict. We were all disappointed, but Carol explained that one night she had been stranded with a large group of visitors on the mountain all night because the wind reached over 125 mph. The buildings are built to withstand 186 mph winds. She offered us rain checks or refunds.
Day tours are nominal since there is no star-gazing. Visitors never get to look through the big telescope. The nighttime star-gazing is through more conventional telescopes with scientists there to explain and teach about the universe, stars, constellations and planets. The 2 a.m. tour is the best time for those willing to stay up late and really see the stars. Sometimes they can also see the aurora, whose natural colored light array is beautiful when conditions are right.
WHEN YOU GO
An Earth and Sky Tour should be high on your list if you are in the area of Lake Tekapo, just three hours' drive from either Queenstown or Christchurch. Full-moon nights make the stars much fainter, so plan to be there on darker nights when the moon is in a smaller phase.
www.tekapotourism.com
www.newzealandtravelinsider.com/day-walks/mt-john-walkway-lake-tekapo-walk-new-zealand.htm
www.earthandsky.co.nz
www.tekapotourism.com/info/mt_john.html
Bonnie and Bill Neely are freelance writers. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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