Greenhill Observatory
The Greenhill Observatory is an astronomical observatory operated by the University of Tasmania (UTAS) [1] on Bisdee Tier, near Spring Hill, Tasmania. The observatory is located roughly 50 km (30 miles) north of Hobart, (Australia). The nearest municipality is the village of Jericho. The observatory was officially opened by the Governor of Tasmania in February, 2013. The facility is named in honour of longtime University of Tasmania astrophysicist Dr John G. Greenhill (1933-2014).
Alternative names | Bisdee Tier Optical Astronomy Observatory |
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Organization | |
Location | Tasmania, AUS |
Coordinates | 42°25′52″S 147°17′16″E |
Altitude | 646 m (2,119 ft) |
Established | 2013 |
Website | www |
Telescopes |
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Location of Greenhill Observatory | |
Related media on Commons | |
Telescopes
The site replaces the University of Tasmania's previous observatory at Canopus Hill, near Hobart. The site was developed with the installation of a 1.3 m telescope in mind, and consideration given for possible future expansion. One telescope is currently hosted, the Harlingten Telescope (H127).
- The H127 is a 1.27 m (50 in) diameter reflector of modified Ritchey-Chrétien design, on an equatorial fork mount. The H127 has a rotating tertiary mirror and wide-field corrector lenses installed at two folded Cassegrain (Nasmyth) focal stations, allowing rapid switching between instruments. The H127 was donated to the University of Tasmania by Mr Caisey Harlingten.
- In January 2023, a A$2 million antenna with bi-static radar capability was unveiled. It will be used to locate satellites and space debris.[2]
References
- "Optical Astronomy - Mathematics & Physics - University of Tasmania, Australia". Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- "New Tassie antenna for space communication". 7BU FM. 31 January 2023.
External links
- Mathematics and Physics at the University of Tasmania
- Astronomy Archived 5 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine at UTAS
- Greenhill Observatory Facebook page