T-3 days: Introduction to Molly and Auckland

Hi, I'm Molly. I just graduated from MIT in Course 12 - Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences. I've been working with PAL for the last three years out at the MIT Wallace Observatory.

My cat, Mordecai, did not want me to leave on this trip.

I arrived in Auckland last night after over 24 hours of flight time split up into three long flights. I thankfully managed to sleep for most of the trip.

As we were landing in Australia, there was a spectacular view from my window of Sydney. The person next to me was excitedly claiming to see the Sydney Opera House, but I couldn't seem to identify it.

The Observatory that I am at is located in a giant park in the middle of the city of Auckland. It is attached to a planetarium. In the planetarium, one of the walls is covered with a minecraft space mural made of physical orgami blocks. 

On the other side of the room was a beautiful copper refracting telescope.