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Positional Astronomy at Melbourne Observatory
Image: Album - Photographs
Source: Museum Victoria
Along with the observations required for timekeeping, positional astronomy occupied the largest part of the Observatory's work. Positional astronomy consisted of the accurate and repeated observations of stars, and then the reduction of the observations to provide a precise location of the star in the sky and its magnitude. When the Melbourne Observatory commenced, this involved the use of the transit telescope and accompanying equipment to fix the location. By the 1880s celestial photography had improved so that it was possible to take series of photos of the sky, then measure the position and magnitude of stars on the photographic plates.
The work of the Melbourne Observatory was of particular importance because it was one of the best equipped observatories in the southern hemisphere, and thus able to observe stars that could not be seen from the European and North American observatories.
In the early years Melbourne Observatory became involved in several international projects. In 1863 Government Astronomer Robert Ellery took observations of the parallax of Mars in conjunction with Greenwich Observatory near London and Pulkowa Observatory in St Petersburg; this was to provide measurements that would aid the calculation of the distance of the Earth from the Sun. The following year, in collaboration with Greenwich Observatory, the Observatory was making observations of the polar distances of stars, to measure the amount of apparent displacement due to the refraction of the Earth's atmosphere. Prior to the Transit of Venus in 1874, the Observatory made large numbers of transit observations of stars that would be used by expeditions from the northern hemisphere observatories to locate the precise position of their field observatories.
Several projects were aimed at measuring as accurately as possible the distances between the planets and the Sun, and therefore understanding the mechanics of the solar system. For example, in 1931 the Observatory used its astrographic telescope to photograph the passage of the minor planet Eros; the photographic plates were sent to Greenwich where astronomer Spencer Jones used them with those from other observatories to more accurately measure solar parallax. His work would not be improved upon until the advent of radio astronomy after the Second World War permitted radar measurements of the distance between Earth and Venus.
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Standard Volume - Gallon, Primary Standard, Victoria, 1864
Primary standard gallon for Victoria, 1864. The measure has two handles, a strike disc and is housed in a wooden box. It was originally used by the Customs Department as the Imperial st ...
From: Melbourne, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Transit Telescope, 8 Inch, Melbourne Observatory
Eight inch transit telescope erected in East Transit Room at Melbourne Observatory. The telescope, made by Troughton & Simms, London, was installed in 1884.
From: South Yarra, Australia Images: 1 -
Photograph - Melbourne Observatory House, South Yarra, Victoria, 1935
View of Melbourne Observatory House, the residence of the Victorian Government Astronomer, 1935. Photograph taken by Rolf Baldwin, son of the third Government Astronomer, Joseph Baldwi ...
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Photograph - Melbourne Observatory House, South Yarra, Victoria, 1935
View of Melbourne Observatory House, the residence of the Victorian Government Astronomer, 1935. Photograph taken by Rolf Baldwin, son of the third Government Astronomer, Joseph Baldwi ...
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Photograph - View of Buildings at Melbourne Observatory, South Yarra, Victoria, circa 1937
View of the main building at Melbourne Observatory, taken from the southeast. From the left, the buildings visible are the Astrograph House, rear of main building, 8 inch transit house, ...
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Photograph - Manna Gum, Grounds of Melbourne Observatory, South Yarra, Victoria, 1933
Photograph of the grounds of Melbourne Observatory, taken by Rolf Baldwin, son of the third Government Astronomer, Joseph Baldwin, 1933.
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Photograph - Great Melbourne Telescope, Melbourne Observatory, South Yarra, circa 1875
Photograph of the Great Melbourne Telescope House at Melbourne Observatory, by Charles Nettleton, circa 1875. The photograph has been taken from the roof of the main Melbourne Observa ...
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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.
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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 ...
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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 ...
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