Mt Stromlo Observatory: From Bush Observatory to the Nobel PrizeThis book tells the story of the Mt Stromlo Observatory in Canberra which began with W.G. Duffield's idealism and vision in 1905. The Observatory began life as a government department, later becoming an optical munitions factory producing gun sights and telescopes during the Second World War, before changing its focus to astrophysics – the new astronomy. In the ensuing years programs were introduced to push the Observatory in new directions at the international frontiers of astronomy. The astronomers built new, better and larger telescopes to unravel the secrets of the universe. There were controversies, exciting new discoveries and new explanations of phenomena that had been discovered. The Observatory and its researchers have contributed to determining how old the universe is, participated in the largest survey of galaxies in the universe, and helped to show us that the universal expansion is accelerating – research that led to Brian Schmidt and his international team being awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics. These and other major discoveries are detailed in this fascinating book about one of the great observatories in the world. |
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2.3 m telescope Academy of Science Adam Riess astron Astronomy and Astrophysics Astrophys Astrophysical Journal Australian Academy Australian Astronomers Australian National University Bart Bok became Bessell Bhathal Bok’s Brian Schmidt Butcher centre Cepheid Colless Commonwealth Solar Observatory dark matter developed Director directorship discovery distance Dopita Duffield Eggen engineering evolution field Figure Filippenko galactic Gascoigne Gemini Giant Magellan Telescope globular clusters High-Z Hubble Constant Hubble Space Telescope infrared instrument Kirshner Large Magellanic Cloud Library of Australia light curve luminosity MACHO measure microlensing Milky Way Galaxy Monthly Notices Mould Mount Stromlo Archives Mount Stromlo Observatory nebulae Norris objects observations Oddie paper Photo physics planets radio astronomy radio telescope Research School Rodgers Royal Astronomical Society Sackett Sandage scientific Siding Spring Siding Spring Observatory SN Ia spectra spectrograph staff stars stellar Stromlo astronomer supernovae Sydney Technology Type Ia supernovae Woolley