Dusty Telescopes, Mouldy Books and Boring Old Gentlemen

Ray Johnston,

Star Dreaming Australia

In 2004, the irrepressible Prof Fred Watson AM wrote a book titled “Stargazer, the Life and Times of the Telescope” covering the birth and development of the telescope. After many requests, a tour was put together to visit some of the sites mentioned in the book and in September 2008, a varied bunch of Aussie astronomers, enthusiasts and not so enthusiastic partners assembled in Edinburgh to tour through the UK and Europe. It turned out to be a fascinating mix of astronomical moments and tourist hotspots and was voted as one of best experiences many of the participants had enjoyed. This presentation covers that tour with delightful anecdotes and pictorial highlights. It was a huge success in spite of the title which was coined by one of the not so enthusiastic partners.