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35 Years of the Anglo Australian TelescopePrint Page 
The plaque commemorates 35 years of scientific achievement by the Anglo Australian Telescope which was inaugurated by Prince Charles in 1974.
The Anglo Australian Telescope (AAT) was established after representations had been made to the Australian and British Governments in the mid-1960s by the Australian Academy of Science and the Royal Society of London. It was decided in April 1967 to build a large optical telescope, similar in design to the 3.8-metre telescope of the Kitt Peak National Observatory in the United States. A site for the telescope was chosen on Siding Spring Mountain, near the New South Wales town of Coonabarabran, where the Australian National University had operated an observatory since 1965.
Following a detailed process of installation and commissioning of instrumentation, the AAT was inaugurated on 16 October 1974 by His Royal Highness, Prince Charles.
The AAT was constructed in Australia so that astronomers could explore in detail some of the most exciting regions of the sky, including the centre of our own Milky Way Galaxy and its nearest neighbours the Magellanic Clouds. Some of the finest globular clusters and nearest radio galaxies can only be seen with difficulty from northern latitudes, if at all.
Location
| Address: | Observatory , Anglo Australian Observatory , Coonabarabran , 2357 |
|---|---|
| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -31.275217 Long: 149.067326 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Technology |
| Sub-Theme: | Science |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 16-October-1974 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 16-October-2009 |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Friday 16th October, 2009 |
|---|
(plaque 1)
Anglo-Australian Observatory
Celebrating 35 years of Scientific Achievement
16th October 2009
Directors
Dr E J Wampler 1974 to 1976
Dr D C Morton 1976 to 1987
Dr R D Cannon 1987 to 1996
Dr B J Boyle 1996 to 2004
Professor M M Colless 2004 to present
(small plaque underneath )
Unveiled by Professor Matthew Colless FAA
Director of the Anglo Australian Observatory on the 16th October 2009
(plaque 2)
ANGLO AUSTRALIAN
TELESCOPE
THIS TELESCOPE
A JOINT UNDERTAKING OF THE
GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM
OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND
AND THE GOVERNMENT OF AUSTRALIA,
WAS INAUGURATED BY
HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS
THE PRINCE CHARLES
ON 16TH OCTOBER, 1974
