Taming The Beast

The Milroy 40inch Telescope was the first telescope constructed at SSO and was designed for photography or photoelectric work. Throughout its working life, it was used to perform a variety of cutting-edge research work by some of the best known names in Australian and International Astronomy. The first images were taken on February 12, 1964 and it was in operation through to 2010. In later years, CCD imagers and spectrographs were built for the telescope and used to extend its capabilities. The Wide Field Imager (WFI), a camera that boasted a mosaic of 8 CCDs, each with 4000 x 2000 pixels, was used extensively from 1999 until its decommissioning. These days it has experienced a new lease of life as a public outreach telescope and is being groomed to undertake a new scientific career in the area of pro - am collaborations. But in the meantime it has been a challenging process getting it up and running and maintaining it. Over the years of its life at SSO I spent many nights using it and training others to do so. Now life has come full circle and I am proviliged to share this piece of australian astronomical history with the public. Hear the adventures of getting the beast up and running - and the joys of lightning strike, possums and other rodents and why the only spider I like is 159,800 light years away. Close Window