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Buildings at Melbourne Observatory
Image: Negative - View of Melbourne Observatory, 1880s
Source: Museum Victoria
The location of buildings across the Observatory site was a direct outcome of the scientific requirements of the work being undertaken.
When Melbourne Observatory opened in 1863, all the astronomical functions of the Observatory were initially gathered in the main building, including the transit telescope, equatorial telescope and prime vertical telescope. However the sensitive magnetic instruments needed to be kept way from any other metal objects that might disturb the measurements. The instruments were kept in two separate magnet houses, the Absolute House and the Horary House, both some distance from the main Observatory building, and separate from one another. The meteorological instruments were also kept in a separate cluster to the east of the main building, so that the air could circulate freely around the thermometers.
The location of additional buildings and structures was also dictated by scientific and astronomical considerations. Transit telescopes could be attached to the main building as they only had to have line of sight in one plane; thus new transit rooms were added to the main building in 1866 and 1883. New equatorial-mounted telescopes were placed elsewhere on the grounds so that they could have clear views at lower altitudes; attaching them to the main building would have added considerably to the costs, as they would need to be raised higher to give them a clear view over the main building's roofline. The Astrograph could be relatively close to the main building to its north, because its allotted task was to photograph stars towards the south celestial pole.
The location of the Great Melbourne Telescope some distance from the main building was dictated by the concern that it should be removed as far as possible from the existing magnet houses on the south and west of the site, to reduce the chance of the large metal telescope, lenses and associated machinery interfering with the magnetic observations. Its location to the north of the site also gave it clear lines of sight in most directions, except for its own roll-back roof to the south.
Timeline of Main Buildings
Absolute Magnet House, 1861
Horary Magnet House, 1861; demolished & replaced by Differential Magnet House, 1867
Main Observatory Building, 1861-1863
Astronomer's Residence (original), 1861; demolished 1914
Assistant Astronomer's Residence, 1861; demolished 1914
Second Transit Room added to Main Building, 1866
Differential Magnet House, 1867; demolished & replaced by Magnet House, 1877
Great Melbourne Telescope House, 1869-1870
Thermograph House, 1870; demolished
Photoheliograph House, 1873
South Equatorial House, 1874
Magnet House, 1877
Thermometer Shed, 1879; moved 1885; demolished
East Transit Room added to Main Building, 1883
New Workshop added to Great Melbourne Telescope House, 1888
Astrograph House, 1889
Astronomer's Residence (new), 1889
Computing Room added to Main Building, 1892
Caretaker's Quarters, 1902
Astrophotographic Room added to Main Building, 1902
Strong Room added to Main Building, 1902
Whirling Room added to Great Melbourne Telescope House, 1904
Anemometer Tower, 1906
Items per page: 10 50 (showing 11 - 20) 370 items
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Negative - Equatorial House & Photoheliograph House, Melbourne Observatory
8 inch equatorial house and photoheliograph house at Melbourne Observatory, from the north-east.
From: South Yarra, Australia Images: 1 -
Digital Image - View of Melbourne Observatory, circa 1900
Image of Melbourne Observatiory, reproduced on a postcard, circa 1900. It depicts the main building, with the Astrograph House on the right.
Images: 1 -
Technical Report - Count Von Zeppelin's Dirigible Air Ship, 1901
A summary technical report on the first rigid airship built at Lake Constance by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin. It is an extract from the Smithsonian Report for 1899, pp563-565. This cop ...
Images: 1 -
No Image Available
Technical Report - Major B. Baden-Powell, Progress With Air Ships, 1904
A short summary of work on airship design up to 1903 by Major Baden F.S. Baden-Powell (1860-1937) of the Scots Guards. This copy was originally received by the Melbourne Observatory and ...
Images: 0 -
No Image Available
Technical Report - S.P. Langley, Stories of Experiments in Mechanical Flight, 1898
A short summary of work on the design of heavier than air flying machines up to 1897 by Samuel Pierpont Langley. This copy was originally received by the Melbourne Observatory and held ...
Images: 0 -
No Image Available
Technical Report - The Langley Aerodrome, 1901
A summary of work on the design of the Aerodrome, a heavier than air flying machine built by Samuel Pierpont Langley. This copy was originally received by the Melbourne Observatory and ...
Images: 0 -
No Image Available
Technical Paper - E.C. Huffaker & S.P. Langley, On Soaring Flight, 1898
Summary of experiments in non-powered flight by E.C Huffaker with an introduction by Samuel Pierpont Langley. This copy was originally received by the Melbourne Observatory and held as ...
Images: 0 -
No Image Available
Technical Report - Graham Bell's Tetrahedral Kites, 1904
Summary report with four photographic illustrations of Alexander Graham Bell's experimental kites. It is an extract from the Smithsonian Report for 1903, pp183-185. The copy was origina ...
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Glass Plate Box - Plate Carrier, Great Melbourne Telescope, 1870s
Wooden box used for carrying glass photographic plates and their holders for the Great Melbourne Telescope at the Melbourne Observatory, 1870s.
Images: 1 -
Hood - South Collimator, Melbourne Observatory, circa 1880s
Hood for the South Collimator Field Lens at Melbourne Observatory, circa 1880s. The South Collimator was erected some distance south on the meridian line of the 8 inch transit telescope ...
Images: 2
