THE
GROVE CREEK OBSERVATORY
Australian Standards Designated
Optical Observatory: DO3 - 14
International
Astronomical Union Minor Planet Centre Observatory: E16
We have ceased public tours - no public entry is permitted.
History, Description & Images
The Grove Creek Observatory is an professional research facility, run as a non-profit organisation. Grove Creek is unique in operation - we now have a collection of remote controlled internet telescopes, allowing research scientists and the general public to take CCD images through our telescopes over the internet, from one of the best night sky locations in the southern hemisphere.
LOCATION:
The Grove Creek Observatory is located 255kms (158miles) by road, west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia- about a 3.5 hour drive, non-stop. It is 61kms (38miles) south of the of Bathurst, near the small village of Trunkey Creek. The Observatory is situated on the western side of the famous Blue Mountains, at an altitude of 918 metres (3,012 ft) with a 360-degree clear horizon. Please note that there is no longer general public entry permitted to the property - the property is fenced with a locked gate and has extensive 24hour electronic security and video surveillance systems in place, as well as an armed guard, who lives 100 metres to the north of the facility.
HISTORY:
The Grove Creek Observatory was established in 1985 primarily for conducting public tours of the arrival of Comet Halley. The extensive sheep and grazing property surrounding the site where the observatory now stands, was then owned by the Lynch family. Jim Lynch the eldest son, already had a small private domed observatory located 5 kms south of the current facility, housing a 12.5" Dall-Kirkham designed telescope that he had been using since 1975. Jim and his two younger brothers, Tom and Mark Lynch decided that the current observatory was too small and had difficult access, to provide tours for the soon to arrive Halley's comet and decided to build a new facility. The dome and C-14 telescope were purchased from Mr. Lionel Larson and shipped to "The Grove" from Bilpin, NSW. Lionel originally had the facility built at Collaroy Plateau, on the Northern Beaches of Sydney.
As the hundreds of bookings for Halleys Comet poured in, it soon became clear that one telescope was not going to be sufficient, so another sliding roof type observatory was built 30 meters (100 feet) west of the main domed building and Jim's 12.5" Dall-Kirkham telescope (now modified to a f/4 Newtonian) was moved from his old observatory, installed on the main central pier and the original observatory abandoned. At the peak of operation of the Grove Creek Observatory, there were also two de-mountable buildings, serving refreshments and thousands of people saw the comet during the 1985/86 visit.
After this time, the future of the facility was unclear. In February 1987 an astronomer from Sydney, Steven Williams, was asked to improve the electronics of the C14 and to hold a tour. Funny enough, the tour consisted of a group of low-security prison inmates, who were on a field trip! Tom Lynch, Jim's younger brother, was still living and operating "The Grove" property at that time and suggested that Steven work as a tour guide to conduct tours of the facility on a commercial basis. However, Grove Creek really only consisted of the current "control room" seating up to 40 people (at a tight squeeze) the main dome and two outside toilets. At that time, there was no on-site accommodation facilities available and it became problematic for Steven to continue to run tours. Steven decided to depart Grove Creek in 1989 to work full-time at the John Tebbutts Observatory in Windsor, NSW and also at the Yullara Observatory at Uluru (Ayres Rock) in Central Australia. He also went overseas to the United States and England, to complete his astronomical studies.
It was during this time, that the Lynch family left "The Grove" property and soon after (sadly) the patron of the family, Jim Lynch Snr, passed away. In 1995 Jim Lynch (Jnr) decided to extend the main domed observatory south and eastward to include a full accommodation area, consisting of a large comfortable lounge and kitchen area, laundry, bathroom and two bedrooms. The extensions were built by both Jim and Alan Jones. It was then decided to make the facility a non-profit organisation, where all monies received from tours would go towards maintaining the facility and for conducting astronomical research. Steven Williams was asked to come back to the facility to assist with tours, which he agreed to do so and has been there since.
 |
 |
| Jim Lynch - Director | Steven Williams - Manager |
The new accommodation area was completed in 1996 and it was a pleasant "omen" that this second phase of operations of the Grove Creek Observatory also started under another comet, Comet Hhyakataki, which was about five times brighter than Halleys. Tom Polakis from the USA was the very first paid visitor to stay at new accommodation facility on March the 21st. You will find some of Tom's astrophotographs on this web site. Jim Lynch then moved to Coffs Harbour in NSW in 2000 and now Steven Williams runs the facility, under Jim's guidance. In 2003 the final remaining grazing area surrounding the observatory was sold off and the 1ha (4acres) observatory property was retained and fenced off, with a security gate and alarm system to deter people who may drive up and ruin any images, with the use of car headlights.
Many people visited and stayed at Grove Creek from 1995 to 2007. Astronomical pictures taken by these visitors have been published in many international astronomical magazines and astronomy books and the facility has often been used by the Australian and International media for live coverage of astronomical events. Grove Creek is listed in a popular book, "101 things to do before you die" and was a unique eco-tourist destination for people from all over the world. A huge influx of tours came during the closest approach to Mars in July 2003 after the "Sydney Weekender" program aired a special TV presentation about Grove Creek. Please click below if you would like to watch the video and see Grove Creek in "action", during those times :-)
Grove Creek continued to add further telescopes and in 2004, the original sliding roof western observatory was upgraded to be fully remote motor controlled over the internet. This contains a research telescope operated by Wheaton College in Boston, MA, USA. You will find a web page dedicated to that project. Andrew Mattingly joined Grove Creek during this time and is the designer of the remote telescope system. He was later joined by Greg Ford. Andrew and Greg have also developed remote internet radio telescope projects at the facility. In November 2007 other remote controlled telescopes were installed and we are now part of SkyLive - a remote internet telescope network based in Italy. In January 2008, a third building was completed, which is located between the main dome observatory and the western observatory and in March, the main dome was upgraded for full remote control.
WHY WE CEASED PUBLIC TOURS:
In September 2007 it became clear that Grove Creek Observatory would be better utilised as a fully remote controlled internet research facility and it was decided to close to the general public. The reasons for this decision varied but since the 9/11 terror incidents, tours had dropped considerably (80% of our visitors where from the USA) and it became very difficult to fund the facility on tours alone. Tours also began conflicting with the dedicated roles that the internet telescopes could provide. When Grove Creek was first built we were the only public observatory running tours under very dark skies. Our initial objective was always to bring the universe to the general public and visiting astronomers, to share the wonders of the southern skies.
This change of direction was certainly not taken lightly - consideration was given to the fact that in recent years, there have been other public observatories built for the general public in the area and therefore Grove Creek was no longer the only place available (despite our premier night skies). Steven's health was also declining and it was difficult for him to continue with the demands of running tours. With other private observatories having staff living on-site and deluxe accommodation that some people demanded, Grove Creek could no longer really compete. We still provide accommodation for astronomers associated with the research internet telescopes run at the facility, as well as for our volunteer staff members that assist with various projects.
The positive side of closing to the general public now enables Grove Creek to provide 100% of telescope time to internet telescope projects, where students and universities from around the world can go online and use the facility remotely, with no need to attend the facility personally. We now have public internet CCD imaging telescopes dedicated for general public and research use, with a new larger capacity 2mbit speed broadband satellite, to provide access to them. Along with the Wheaton Telescope, we now have 2 further remote internet telescopes and 3 fully remote controlled dedicated robotic observatories buildings on site.
There is plenty of room for future expansion for other interested organisations that may wish to house a remote internet telescope at Grove and we invite interested organisations to contact us.
THE MAIN DOME:
|
|
|
Located on the main observatory building, is the 3.2m (10 ft) motorised dome, containing the Celestron Pacific C-14 - a 36cm (14") Schmidt Cassegrain telescope. The 1m diameter pier is sunk into the ground 5m, with no part of the building touching it. Stairs lead up and down to the platform, with an entry and exit, from the control room. In February 2008, the shutters were also motorised, to allow for the possible future upgrading for another fully remote internet controlled observatory, like the 2 other buildings at Grove Creek. The shutters are completely wireless and uses solar cells mounted on the top of the shutters, facing the sun during the day, to charge the internal battery.
Dome Shutter System built and designed by Brett Soames from "The
Door Man" company of Kelso, NSW.
(The Door Man also motorised our middle and western sliding roof observatories,
below)
THE MIDDLE OBSERVATORY:
Fully computerised sliding roof type observatory, measuring
7.08m long x 4.65m wide x 2.4m high
Completed in January 2008, this building houses a 8" f/7 Newtonian, Astro-Physics GTO-1200 mount with our C14 and other telescopes for the SkyLive project. A computer using a relay control box and software with weather and cloud sensor protection, automatically closes the roof if negative weather conditions are present. The computer controls the 1200-GTO mount, ST-8 CCD camera, internal lights, web camera monitoring and security systems. There is plenty of room for future expansion of further internet telescopes in this building. The previous 12" f/4 Newtonian housed in this building has now been shipped to Jim Lynch, Observatory Director at Coffs Harbour, who is building a personal observatory at his private home.
THE WESTERN OBSERVATORY:
One of 2 remote-controlled rack motors that control each side of the roof.
Mounted on the north-west, for the western half and another on the south-east,
for the eastern half.
Fully computerised sliding roof type observatory,
measuring 5.6m x 4.6m
One of 2 remote-controlled rack motors that control each side of the roof.
Mounted on the south-east for the eastern half and another on the north-west for
the western half
THE MAIN BUILDING CONTROL ROOM:
The main observatory control room is the "nerve center" of the telescope operations at the Observatory. It is separated from the 3.2 metre (10 foot) dome by a partition, with 2 door access and stairs to the main telescope. Visiting astronomers can use this warm and comfortable area to control the telescope remotely while taking CCD images. We support both LAN and wireless network connections for our staff and visiting astronomers to share our 2-way broadband satellite internet connection. The control room has heating, red lights for dark adaptation, lounge area and work desks.
THE LOUNGE & KITCHEN AREA:
 |
 |
 |
 |
Located at the rear of the main observatory building, is our accommodation facility, which provides a comfortable retreat for staff and visiting astronomers. We have a lounge area with Digital TV, DVD and CD player, gas heating, dining table seating up to 6 people, kitchenette and bathroom with flush toilet and a hot full pressure shower. No "roughing it" at Grove Creek! The kitchen area has a fridge/freezer, two microwave ovens, fan forced convection oven, filter & espresso coffee machines and a small gas oven with two hot plates and griller. All cooking utensils are provided. Pure, filtered mountain rainwater is on tap from our storage tank. Visiting astronomers will need to bring their own food, drinks, milk and personal toiletries. Power converters available for USA 110VAC appliances, such as hair dryers, shavers, laptop computers, etc.
VISITING STAFF & ASTRONOMER'S BEDROOM:
|
|
|
|
Double Bed & Single Bed Bunk - 3 ppl |
2 x Single Bed Bunk - 2 ppl |
 |
 |
| Extra Single Bed (if required) 1 person |
Writing desk & guest information |
There is a private bunkroom available for our staff and visiting astronomers with a small hanging clothes closet, writing desk and most beds have private reading lights. We provide all bedding, including doonas (comforters) that are alpine rated for the cold winter months. There is a double & single bunk bed (3 ppl) a single 2 bunk bed (2ppl) and a further single bed can be made available, if required. The Manager is roomed separately for visitor's privacy, but the lounge area, kitchen and bathroom are shared.
WEATHER & SKY CONDITIONS AT GROVE CREEK:
Grove Creek is considered one of the best observing locations in Australia. No matter what the size of any given telescope, a dark sky is essential for visual observations. The facility is situated on the highest point of a sheep and cattle grazing property, well away from any light pollution with a 360° view of the night sky. The nearest village, Trunkey Creek, is 6kms (3.5miles) to the west, and well below the Observatory's altitude and hidden within a deep valley. With a population of only 50 people and protected street lighting, no lights can be seen from the village. That makes Grove Creek Observatory one of the best dark sky locations available and therefore considered the premier site for seeing faint interesting objects and taking astrophotographs and/or CCD images of the southern night sky.
On a yearly average, Grove Creek losses only 1 night in 5 to total cloud cover (compared to Siding Spring, the largest observatory in Australia, which looses 1 night in 3). Some months are better than others - December and January should be avoided, if possible, as the nights are very short and electrical and rain storms after sunset are common. July and August should also be avoided due to bitter cold and sometimes - high winds. High winds can restrict viewing, CCD imaging and astrophotography due to vibration and risk of optical damage to the telescopes. For astrophotography and CCD imaging, a wind speed less than 16kms/hour (9 knots) is desired.
For visiting astronomers, ensure you bring adequate alpine winter clothing for night time viewing, during April to October. Despite popular belief, it does snow in Australia but at our altitude of 936 metres (3,070 ft), we usually only have about 5-6 days of snow per year. Since we have been keeping records, the lowest recorded temperature was -6C (21F) on the 20th of July, 1994 and the highest was 44C (111F) on the 30th of December, 2005. However, these are very rare extremes. The monthly average temperature in January is 15.5C (60F) to 30.6C (88F) and in July, 0.6C (33F) to 7.1C (45F). Please see our Online Weather Station for more details. Both the control room and our accommodation areas are well insulated, have gas heating and the visitor's quarters bedding are "alpine" rated.
The facility is situated on the western side of the Great Dividing Range which
helps protect the area against turbulent air, thus making the "seeing conditions"
excellent. This is important when viewing objects at high magnification, as bad
"seeing" can make objects "blurry" and stars "twinkle", which is a result of a
turbulent atmosphere. The ground level pressure at our altitude helps also.
From 1988 onwards, very faint light from Sydney was starting to become visible and now
extends to about 5° in the eastern sky. However, as you can see by the
below long exposure photograph, the light pollution from Sydney is actually
dimmer than the brightness of the Zodiac Light, so it causes no problems. The
Zodiac Light are particles left
over from the formation of the solar system, being reflected by the sun and are
often very difficult to see. The below astrophotograph was taken low
in the east, to prove the point. For the more technically minded, the visual limiting magnitude is an amazing 7.37.
This has been independently measured from the star SA0 231240 - located in the
constellation of Grus.
1 minute astrophotograph showing the Eastern Zodiacal light
in comparison to the small light
pollution from Sydney.
Grove
Creek Observatory is a registered Optical Observatory
under official
Australian
Standards (Designation: D03 - 14)
Obtrusive lighting is restricted in the area.
GROVE CREEK OBSERVATORY IS PERFECT FOR A REMOTE TELESCOPE OPERATION
WE INVITE YOU TO CONTACT US, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO INSTALL A REMOTE FACILITY.
