The Australian Astronomical Observatory (formerly the Anglo-Australian Observatory) is located in Siding Spring in New South Wales, Australia, and consists of the Anglo-Australian Telescope (a 3.9m instrument) and the UK Schmidt Telescope (a 1.2m instrument). One of the objectives of the Anglo-Australian Telescope is to find extrasolar planets. The UK Schmidt Telescope began its life by carrying out surveys of the southern sky; it is now being used to measure the velocities of stars in the Milky Way.
Image: Star trails captured in a long exposure photograph of the Anglo-Australian Telescope dome (credit: Australian Astronomical Observatory/David Malin Images)
Patrick Moore visits the Anglo-Australian Telescope at Siding Springs, Australia, and looks at some of its images.
Sir Patrick Moore discusses Supernova 1987a.
Professor Brian Boyle from the Anglo-Australian Observatory explains how observations of a gamma ray burst helped his team discover that it resulted from a supernova and the possible formation of a black hole.
Sir Patrick Moore's guest Professor Richard Ellis from the University of Oxford reviews the world's large observatories and explains their importance. [The black and white images of Edwin Hubble, George Hale, Mount Wilson, the 200-inch telescope and mirror making in this clip are copyright Palomar Observatories/Caltech]
The Australian Astronomical Observatory (AAO), formerly the Anglo-Australian Observatory, is an optical/near-infrared astronomy observatory with its headquarters in suburban Sydney, Australia. Originally funded jointly by the United Kingdom and Australian governments, it is now managed wholly by Australia's Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education. The AAO operates the 3.9 metre Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) and 1.2 metre UK Schmidt Telescope (UKST) at Siding Spring Observatory, located near the town of Coonabarabran, Australia.
In addition to operating the two telescopes, AAO staff carry out astronomical research, as well as design and build innovative astronomical instrumentation for the AAT, UKST, and other telescopes including the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile, and the Japanese Subaru Telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
UK involvement in the AAO ceased in June 2010, with the change of name and management arrangements effective from 1 July 2010.
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