“Anglo-Australian Telescope turns 35” page 1 of 2
ANGLO-AUSTRALIAN OBSERVATORY
Helen Sim +61-(0)2-9372-4251
+61-(0)419-635-905
hsim@aao.gov.au
MEDIA RELEASE
14 October, 2009
ANGLO-AUSTRALIAN TELESCOPE TURNS 35
On Friday 16 October the largest telescope in Australia, and one of the most
productive in the world, will celebrate its 35th birthday.
The 3.9-m Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) at Siding Spring Observatory in NSW
lies 25 km from the town of Coonabarabran.
It was inaugurated on 16 October 1974 by HRH Prince Charles and the then Prime
Minister, Gough Whitlam.
To mark the anniversary, the Anglo-Australian Observatory (which operates the
telescope) will present a sundial to the town at an afternoon ceremony outside the
Coonabarabran Court House.
The gift is to thank Coonabarabran for the efforts it and other nearby towns have
made to control light pollution in the area around Siding Spring Observatory.
“This is crucially important for the work of the AAT and other telescopes at Siding
Spring,” said Professor Fred Watson, Astronomer in Charge at the AAT.
“Without it, our research would suffer, because light pollution hides the faint objects
in space.”
The AAT was created to provide world-class optical and infrared observing facilities
for all Australian and UK astronomers.
At the time it was built there were few large telescopes in the Southern Hemisphere
and the southern sky was relatively unexplored. The AAT was the largest telescope
that British and Australian astronomers had access to.
It was the first large telescope to be operated completely under computer control,
and the first to make spectacular colour photographs of objects in the southern sky.
“Anglo-Australian Telescope turns 35” page 2 of 2
Thanks to ongoing technical innovations, the AAT remains one of the world's most
productive telescopes. It is the first-ranked 4-metre telescope in the world, in both
productivity and impact, achieving more than twice as many citations as its nearest
competitor. Among optical telescopes of any size, on the ground or in space, the AAT
is ranked fifth in productivity and impact
The telescope’s achievements include finding 25 planets around other stars; helping
to determine the cause of the giant cosmic explosions called gamma-ray bursts; and
making precise measurements of the amounts of “dark energy” and “dark matter” in
the Universe.
On 1 July 2010 the Anglo-Australian Observatory will shed its bi-national status and
become a wholly Australian institution, the “Australian Astronomical Observatory”,
managed by the Commonwealth Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and
Research.
“The Australian Government has given a strong vote of confidence to the AAT,
backing it to have a productive future and a continuing central role in Australian
astronomy,” Professor Colless said.
More information
Professor Fred Watson, Astronomer in Charge at the AAT
Mob. 042 089 7860
Can talk on history, scientific achievements and touching on the future of the AAO.
Mr Chris McCowage Former AAO Operations Manager
02 6842 2119 Mob. 0428 422119
Long-term AAO employee. Has a good knowledge of AAO history and context.
Mr Robert Dean, AAO Telescope Systems Manager
02 6842 6291 Mob. 0407 422096
Long-serving AAO staff member who played a role in the official proceedings. Rob can relate
the preparations for and events on the day of the inauguration
Images – the inauguration
Prince Charles addresses the audience at the inauguration. Photo: AAO (Jpeg 2.1 MB)
Prince Charles is greeted by Minister for Science W. L. Morrison on arriving at the
Observatory. Photo: AAO (Jpeg 5.3 MB)
Chairman of the AAT Board, Sir Fred Hoyle, presents Prince Charles with a gift at the
inauguration, with Prime Minister Gough Whitlam looking on. Photo: AAO (Jpeg 5.5 MB)
Images – the AAT today
The AAT – interior panoramic view. (Jpeg 6.1 MB)
The dome of the AAT. Photo: Barnaby Norris. (Jpeg 1.8 MB)
The AAT. Photo: Barnaby Norris. (Portrait format; jpeg 2.9 MB)
Timeline of AAT achievements
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