CSIRO Parkes - “The Big Dish”
CSIRO Parkes is a not-insignificant part of the Australia’s contribution to the astronomical sciences, and while I’m not near as well-versed on space-related stuff as I’d like to be, the geek in me still digs things like this. Plus, it’s a friggin’ big dish.
When you drive past it on the Newell Highway, you can see it from quite a fair distance away, but you really don’t comprehend just how big this thing is. Standing next to it is another thing entirely. Here’s a shot from the road leading up to it (they actually have a spot you can pull off the road to take a photo):
… and here’s a shot standing next to it:
Now the aspect is still a little wrong, so I’ll just point out that the white building on the right that looks like a spaceship lander is actually the old radio housing that sits up at the top of the middle of the dish. The thing’s enormous and really quite impressive. The free part of the museum is quite interesting as well, but we didn’t stay too long. Apparently there are shows and things you can go to that are even better.
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Telescope Rd, Parkes NSW 2870, AustraliaNavigation: Older Entry Newer Entry