The Australian National University has signed an agreement to locate the Faulkes telescope, the third largest optical telescope in Australia, at its Siding Spring Observatory in the Warrambungle Mountains in northern New South Wales.
The telescope is part of an international education program developed by UK businessman and philanthropist, Dr Martin Faulkes, to bring astronomy into schools and colleges in the UK, USA and Australia.
The extraordinary project, which involves ANU and the Swinburne University of Technology, will give secondary-school students across Australia access to the largest amateur telescope in Australia and another in Hawaii. The Australian Operations Centre will be based at Swinburne’s Centre for Astrophysics & Supercomputing, under the guidance of Associate Professor Duncan Forbes.
The two metre diameter telescope “Faulkes South” will complement a similar instrument, “Faulkes North”, in Hawaii. The Siding Spring telescope will be equipped with a state-of-the-art imaging system enabling observation of large-scale structures in the universe.
“Kids will have a real chance to make actual discoveries with this telescope; more than just comets, asteroids and supernovae,” Professor John Norris from the ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics said. “This telescope is twice the size of the biggest amateur telescope in Australia. It puts school children right up to the front line with professional astronomers.”
“Amateurs using the Stromlo 30-inch telescope have helped produce data to prove the universe would keep expanding forever, and have found a planet orbiting a distant star. A switched on group of Australian kids using Faulkes South may find the real prize, another planet like our own.”
