Published daily for the Fifteenth General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union, Sydney, Australia. 21-30 August 1973 Monday 20 August WELCOME TO THE FIFTEENTH New Schmidt telescope One of the world's largest astro- mapping the sky to search for unusual GENERAL ASSEMBLY nomical cameras was opened at Siding objec ts and fo r exploring the distribu- Spring Observatory, New South Wale s, tion of galaxies of stars in distant parts Today and tomorrow over 800 Australia in being selected as the first In addition, members of the Local on Friday August 17, by Professor of the universe. astronomers from 46 countries will country in the southern hemisphere Organizing Committee and the IAU Bengt Strömgren, President of the The UK's telescope is located on a gather in Sydney for this, the Fifteenth to hold an IAU General Assembly. Executive Committee, with a veritable International Astronomical Union. site at Siding Spring Observatory pro- General Assembly of the International army of local helpers, are available to The United Kingdom's 48-inch vided by the Australian National Uni- Astronomical Union. T he information kit issued to you provide you with any advice and assist- Schmidt telescope, together with the versity which h as acted as the Council's Your hosts, the Australian Academy on registration contains a number of ance you may need. building dome and ancillary instru- agents for the building and site works. of Science and Australian astronomers items to help you find your way around So, if y ou need anything at all, look ments, was built for the UK's Science The telescope has been designed and throughout the country, welcome you. and to make your stay here as enjoy- for the people wearing red or orange Research Council at an estimated final manufactured for the SRC by Sir We are very conscious of the honour to able as possible. name badges; you will find them only cost of £930,000 sterling (1 .7 million Howard Grubb Parsons and Co. Ltd. too willing to help. dollars Australian) . The officer in It resembles the 48-inch Schmidt Australia is still an isolated country charge is Dr V. C. Reddish . instrument of the Hale observatories at in many ways and it has been said that Initially the telescope will be used Palomar, the drawings of which were we are not yet ready in some respects, to undertake a detailed survey of the generously made available to the Coun to receive overseas visitors in the way southern sky extending from 20 degrees cil. The rotating dome to house the they are accustomed. Maybe this is south of the equator to the southern telescope was supplied and erected by true, but we would like to show that pole. Subsequently the telescope will the Boller and Chivens Division of the The telescope during construction in what we lack in experience of welcom- be available to astronomers to under- Perkin Elmer Corporation in conjunc- the British factory of Sir Howard ing visitors we make up in readiness to take a wide range of investigations. tion with the Land F Machine Com Grubb Parsons and Company Limited. help. The 48-inch Schmidt telescope is a pany of California. A vacuum mirror We hope that, for everyone, the short focus wide angle telescope opera- aluminisi ng plant to accommodate the Fifteenth General Assembly of the ting at about F2.5 and capable of telescope's 72-inch diameter m irror has International General Assembly is a photographing an area of the sky six been supplied and installed at Si ding veys, in the blue and red wavebands, rewarding and enj oyable experience. degrees across - twelve times the dia- Spring by Edwards High Vacuum uf are expected to be completed in late meter of the moon - on a single photo- Crawley Sussex (England). 1975. lt is beli eved that with the im- graph. Its large size and excell en t optics The southern sky survey is to be provements which h ave taken place in give it great penetrating power and it carried out by a Science Research optics and in photographic emulsions From Heidelberg come Doctors R. l1as already recorded galaxies which Council Unit in conjunction with the it wi ll be possible for th ese surveys to Wielen, W. Gliese, W. Fricke, F. Henn, until now have been beyond the reach European Southern Observatory (ESO) detect stars and galaxies about one and T. Lederle. of telescopes in the southern hemi- whose Schmidt telescope in Chile magnitude fainter than in the survey sphere. It is parti cularly suited for recently came into operation. The sur- carried out by the Palomar telescope. Have a look at Sydney Rotational Sydney is one of the most historical story of each of these and give you Pol-universal mount with hydrostatic bearing cities in Australia but to get some directions to find each of them. As you · synthesis · Modified RITCHEY-CHRÉTIEN optics appreciation of what it was like in its stroll along, browse in the antique 1.2 m. • Advanced digital technology for high precision early days of settlement you need to shops, watch colourful candles being and user comfort made or add some collages to your visit the 'Rocks Area'. telescope ZEISS · Single-motor drive with digital control Those with energy can walk there, souvenirs. in steps of 0.1 arc sec. up to 8°/ min. but there are bus tours or taxis to In restored Argyle Terrace you can During the assembly we will publish Cassegrairi · Analog control up to 120°/ min. take you to the Information Centre , rest for a time in the coffee shops or descriptions of the activities of various recognised as the best starting point. have a meal in the Old Spaghetti Fac- astronomical centres. Enquiries: The building in which the centre is loc- tory before you go on to explore the The Fleurs radiotelescope is a new Telescope ated was once the City Coroner's Court CARL ZEISS PTY L TD Mining Mu seum, take a look at an old rotational synthesis telescope recently Box 147 Camperdown 2050 and there is a display area there, a film Police Station or linger in the hallowed built and put into operation by the SYDNEY NSW can be seen and maps and brochures atmosphere of St. Patrick's Church Electrical Engineering School of the Phone: 514378 are available. (dedicated 1844) the oldest Cath olic University of Sydney. It has the highest Walk over the road then in Playfair Church in the city. resolving power of any telescope which Street to Atherton Place ( c.l 880) For further information, or to make can observe the southern skies. At ZEISS Sydney's shortest street, then return to a booking, contact Pioneer Tours, p resent the reso1 vm i g power is 40 arc- West Germany George Street where you can see some Oxford Square (corner Riley Street) or . seconds at a wavelength of 2 l cm but of the elegant and more in teresting old t a lk t o the A nset t -Poni eer represe ntatwe plans are in hand to improve this by a buildings. A brochure will explain the a t the Congress cen t re. factor of two. The telescope wj]J be used by the Schools of Electrical En- aids constructed fur use in a 'grating- gineering and Physics of the University, and by astronomers from organisations cross' by the CSIRO Division of Radio- Editorial note in Australia and other countries. physics in 1952 and later given to the Astronomy 73 is produced for the The new telescope is similar in prin- University of Sydney. Four larger Local Organizing Committee by Dr R. ciple to the earliest radiotelcscope parabolo ids have been added to this to X. McGee , Dorothy Braxton and Jack used for earth-rotational synthesis ob- form a pair of 'compound in terfero- Sandry. servations of the Sun twenty years ago meter' arrays one of which lies in an The editors are very grateful for in Sydney, but is very much more se n- east-wes t direction and the other in a the contributions that have already sitive. Unlike synthesis radiotelescopcs north-south direction. These arrays been received and would welcome more. in the northern hemisphere, the F lcurs operate independently . The north- But our printing schedule is tight, so if instrument is made up of a large num- sou th array (no t yet operational) will y ou could give us one clear working ber of relatively small steerable para- al low radio maps to be made close to day between receipt and required pub- The Mitsubishi Electric Corporation boloids which are all fixed in position. the celestial equator, a thing not pos- lication date we would be grateful. recently supplied this 7 metre radio- Mapping of 2 square degrees of sky is sible with synthesis telescopes that are Ch anges of programme and very urgent telescope to the Japanese Enterprise possible in less than one day . arranged in an east-west line. material can be submitted up to 1500 for International Telegraph and Tele- The instrument is unique in several T he six ty-four channel radio receiver hours on the day before publication. phones. ways. It makes use of 64 small parabol- which forms an important part of the telescope has a number of novel fea- Local films tures including com puter-ge nerated A programme of Austral ian films The very phase-rotating pilot signals in each will be shown at the Union Theatre at Early astronomy in Australia - 1 channel of the receiv er.