When telescopes go bad
Fred Watson
Anglo-Australian Observatory
On the eve of the telescope's 400th birthday,
astronomers are planning a new generation of giant optical (visible-light)
telescopes that promise to transform our view of the Universe. But the history
of humankind's most far-sighted invention is littered with projects that for one
reason or another have failed to live up to expectations. How can we be sure
that the new facilities will succeed in delivering the goods?
In this entertaining and fully-illustrated talk, Fred Watson looks back at some
of the the world's worst and best telescopes, and asks what makes a productive
astronomical instrument. What is it that ensures satisfaction from the community
such a facility is designed to serve? And how do some telescopes go from mere
competence to iconic status? Sometimes, the answers are quite surprising.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Fred
Watson says he has spent so many years
working in large telescope domes that he has started to look like
one. Educated at the universities of St Andrews and Edinburgh, he
worked at both of Britain's former Royal Observatories before
moving to Australia in 1982. Here, he helped to pioneer the use of
fibre optics in astronomy, a technique that has today
revolutionised the way information is gathered on very large
numbers of objects.
Since 1995, Fred has been Astronomer-in-Charge of the
Anglo-Australian Observatory in north-western NSW, where he is
involved with large-scale surveys of stars and galaxies. He also
holds adjunct professorships in the University of Southern
Queensland and the Queensland University of Technology. Rather
unexpectedly, he has become well-known for his award-winning
astronomy segments on ABC radio.
Fred's book "Stargazer - the life and times of the telescope" was
published in 2004 by Allen & Unwin, and will be released in the UK
in September.
This public lecture is
sponsored by a bequest to the Anglo-Australian Observatory in memory of Mr Jack
Allison-Levick, a Melbourne psychiatrist with a life-long interest in astronomy.
This public lecture is intended "to enhance the public understanding of
astronomy and the reputation of the Observatory".
The lectures started in 2003, when the lecture was held in conjunction with the
IAU General Assembly in Sydney, and was given by David Malin (AAO) . In 2004,
the lecture was held in conjunction with the Astronomical Society of Australia's
Annual Scientific Meeting in Brisbane, and was given by Richard Ellis (CalTech).