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RSAA News of the Month: November 2004

Stromlo reopens to public as rebuilding begins

October saw the end of a long period of demolition and cleanup of the Mt Stromlo Observatory site. The original 1924 Commonwealth Solar Observatory Building and the Director's Residence have been cleared and the walls stabilized. The 74" and 50" domes have been cleared. The 50" telescope structure has been left as a monument. For the present the 74" will be fenced off from public access, but the telescope is visible through a window space; visitors compare the view to the wreck of the Titanic. The Yale telescope and Oddie, both almost totally destroyed, have been removed from their buildings and the remnant building walls remain. The Uppsala dome, the workshops and several houses have been demolished. The site is now safe for the public to visit again.

You can watch the progress of demolition and rebuilding in the Stromlo Reconstruction picture albums.

During the last week of October, staff and students of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics (RSAA) celebrated the 80th anniversary of Mt Stromlo Observatory. Celebrations included a public lecture series, an anniversary dinner, and the re-opening of the site to the public.

The lecture series, "Stromlo: 80 years of discovery", was held on Tuesday October 26, Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28. The series highlighted some of the recent RSAA research and instrumentation. It drew enthusiastic audiences of over 150 each night. Topics covered were: "The Origin and Fate of the Universe" by Professors Mike Bessell and Brian Schmidt, "Black Holes and Forming Galaxies" by Dr Ralph Sutherland and Dr Matt Doolan, and "Distant New Worlds: are we alone?" by Prof Penny Sackett and Dr Charles Jenkins.

On Friday night, October 29, the anniversary dinner was held. This was the first use of the Visitors Centre since the fire, and the first time that the new plasma screen displays had been used - screen installation was still in progress as guests arrived. The dinner was attended by over 200 staff, ex-staff, students and families. Notable among them was Mrs Olga Borodina, now aged 94, who was secretary to Dr Arthur Hogg in the 1950s and 60s. "Mrs B" left her mark on the observatory in the form of many gardens around the 50" and administration building, planted during years of lunch breaks.

The Director, Prof Penny Sackett, opened the formal part of the evening with a minute's silence in memory of the late Prof Don Faulkner, long-time Stromlo astronomer and co-author of "Stromlo, an Australian Observatory". Penny's speech paid tribute to the past 80 years of the Observatory, and pointed towards an equally exciting and productive next 80 years.

Left: Part of the crowd of staff, ex-staff and students at the 80th Anniversary Dinner.
Right: Mrs Olga Borodina, "Mrs B", 94 and very happy to be part of the celebration.

Left: Director Penny Sackett presenting the Administration staff with tokens of thanks.
Right: One of the two birthday cakes.

“Now, 21 months after the fire, it is really exciting to commence construction of the first stage of the new Stromlo" Penny said. "This stage will involve the construction of an Advanced Instrumentation Technology Centre (AITC), the rebuild of a destroyed multi-million dollar optical instrument (NIFS) and the construction of the world's fastest survey telescope, the SkyMapper, to be installed at the ANU Siding Spring Observatory, but controlled from Mt Stromlo through an ultra-fast broadband link. Plans for the second stage of redevelopment are already well advanced. A huge volume of work has preceded this moment. Plans for each building have had to comply with heritage considerations and with much data about the history of the site lost in the fires, that process has taken quite a lot of time."

Watch the construction of the AITC through our webcam.

“It is vital to recognise that despite the fires and subsequent delays in reconstruction, Mt Stromlo has continued to be a major international centre for astronomical research. Our staff have used telescopes at the ANU Siding Spring Observatory near Coonabarabran and other telescopes around the world for their research and continue to make some of the most exciting discoveries in astronomy and astrophysics.”

Stromlo was officially reopened to the public with an Open Day between 10am and 3 pm on Saturday October 30. Staff and students were stationed at each of the sites of demolished, stabilized or surviving buildings to explain the significance of the site to visitors. Visitors to the Barn were able to see components for the NIFS and GSAOI instruments, and to marvel at the precision of a computer-controlled milling machine carving MSO logos in soap. The Canberra Astronomical Society showed visitors solar prominences and sunspots through a special solar telescope.

A walking guide to Stromlo can be found here (370K PDF), further information on individual sites around the observatory here (1.8M PDF) and some background information and FAQ here.

Open Day visitors had access to all of the site.
In the Barn they saw components for the GSAOI, and precision milling of soap.

Left: The wreckage of the 50" drew crowds.
Centre: The "Black Hole" swallowed lots of coins while teaching about gravity wells.
Right: John Morland's brand new Personal Solar Telescope showed many their first solar prominences.

Sixty visitors attended the first regular Saturday night public observing sessions. "Saturday Stargazing" uses a selection of small telescopes to introduce the public to the spectacular southern sky, and the visitors were impressed and enthusiastic. The telescopes include Celestron C14, C11 and C8. They will be joined early next year by the refurbished Farnham telescope. Also early next year, the C14, C11 and Farnham will be housed in domes purchased from public donations to the Mt Stromlo Redevelopment Fund.

Summarizing the weekend, Penny said; “It is fantastic to once more be able to welcome the public to Mt Stromlo. We weren't able to make the site safe for public visits until demolition and reconstruction plans were approved. The commencement of our night viewing program marks an important milestone in our recovery, allowing the public to experience some of the same excitement about the Universe that we feel in our daily work at the Observatory.”

The ANU press release for Open Day can be read here.

Mt Stromlo Visitors Centre is open 10am-5pm Wednesday to Sunday.
To make a booking for Saturday Stargazing, call Natalie (Tel: 02 6125 0232).