Astrophiz #240: Trevor Barry — The Outback Astronomer | NASA-Grade Planetary Data From a Backyard Observatory

Trevor Barry — the Outback Astronomer — is a world-renowned planetary imager whose backyard observatory in Broken Hill, NSW, produces scientific-grade Jupiter and Saturn data used by NASA. In this episode of Astrophiz, host Brendan O'Brien travels to the outback to sit down with Trevor at his custom-built observatory. Discover how a former mining tradesman built a 16-inch high-resolution planetary telescope with a 32-point mirror cell and Peltier-cooled optics — and why Broken Hill's flat outback terrain produces some of the best planetary seeing on Earth. From tracking Saturn's electrical storms for NASA's Cassini mission to winning the ASA Berenice and Arthur Page Medal and ALPO's Walter H. Haas Award, Trevor breaks down the exact capture, derotation and processing workflow behind his NASA-grade data. IN THIS EPISODE: -Introduction: Arriving in Broken Hill - From the Mines to the Night Sky: the "aha" moment - Building the First Telescope: storm water pipe & a trip into the roses - Why Broken Hill Delivers World-Class Seeing - Inside the Observatory: the 32-point mirror cell & Peltier-cooled optics - First Contact with NASA: discovering an electrical storm on Saturn - From Pretty Pictures to Scientific Data: capture & processing protocols - The Thrill of Discovery: Jupiter's real-time impact scar - A Dream Fulfilled: two nights on the twin Keck telescopes, Mauna Kea - Mission Control at JPL: meeting Dr Carolyn Porco - Advice for Amateurs: where to send your data - Earning Trust in the Professional Community - Looking Ahead: the 2028 total solar eclipse & Saturn's Great Vortex - The Golden Mic: sharing the wonder with the next generation Full transcript & images: https://astrophiz.com Trevor's book "Outback Astronomer": available online & in all good bookstores Trevor's 60 Minutes feature: tinyurl.com/trevorbarry Astrophiz is an independent, ad-free science podcast running since 2016. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or share it with a friend who loves the cosmos. #Astrophiz #TrevorBarry #PlanetaryImaging #Astrophotography #Saturn #Jupiter #NASA #Cassini #BrokenHill #Astronomy #OutbackAstronomer #JPL