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FOR the first six months they knew each other Rudi Vavra and David Finlay didn't know what the other person looked like - they had only ever met under the cover of darkness.
Mr Vavra, of Kiama and Mr Finlay, of Wollongong met at the Wollongong Astronomy Club ten years ago and have become firm friends and partners in celestial adventure.
"We teamed up because we were both prepared to travel long distances and be up at crazy hours to see these things," Mr Finlay said.
Over the years the pair have chased astronomy events including Aurora Australis, which was seen so spectacularly this week, and meteor showers. Their hobby has taken them to Ceduna, Tennant Creek and Tasmania but Kiama is a regular haunt.
"Most people think of astronomers as very boring old guys peering through telescopes at planets," Mr Finlay said. "But we are only interested in these really interesting and exciting events.
"They are events that anyone can see with the naked eye and the video was shot on a digital SLR camera. Anybody could have taken it, they just needed to be out at that time of the morning [5am] and be dedicated to follow when they are expected to happen."
Video of Tuesday's Aurora Australis on social media has attracted a great deal of public interest, which is what the duo wanted.
Mr Finlay said while they would share their exploits for free, they would be delighted with sponsorship.
"Per head of population there are more people who chase astronomy in the UK than here, which is hard to understand given their weather and our gorgeous skies," he said. "We just want to share it and especially with people who are less mobile."
Mr Finlay, 43, who works in road maintenance, traces his astronomy interest back to a visit to a public observatory in Port Macquarie as a child.
"I looked at Jupiter and Saturn through a large telescope and when these scientists answered my questions it was like the universe exploded in my mind."
Mr Vavra, "40 plus ten", is a photographer and has been fascinated with the sky since watching the Apollo landings.
"I have always been interested in astronomy but it came and went until I walked past a telescope shop and thought, 'it's time I bought a telescope' and it has become an increasingly bigger part of my life."
Mr Finlay keeps track of the space weather calendar and says it looks like a relatively quiet second half of the year, with the next big event being a meteor shower in December.
During their countless hours spent with eyes turned to the heavens, have they seen anything they can't explain?
"Well we have seen things that other people can't explain," Mr Finlay said. "For example we have seen clouds that glow, moving over our heads. We think we know what it is, methane gas being released, but the experts can't explain it."
So, no green little men?
"My tagline when people ask me about aliens is that astronomers would be the first people to see aliens because we are always looking at the sky but we don't, the only people who think they see aliens are people who are unfamiliar with what they are seeing.
■To see more of Mr Finlay and Mr Vavra's adventures check out their youtube channel ClearskiesTV.