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Melbourne Observatory Collection
Image: Album - Photographs
Source: Museum Victoria
The Melbourne Observatory Collection comprises over 400 objects and images relating to the operation of Melbourne Observatory from 1863 to 1944. It includes large telescopes, other astronomical instruments, clocks, and scientific instruments relating to the Observatory's work in meteorology, geomagnetism, seismology, geodetic surveying and weights and measures administration. There is also a selection of photos relating to the Observatory's work, including photos of buildings, instruments and observational photos.
The majority of the collection was transferred to the Industrial & Technological Museum (now part of Museum Victoria) following the Observatory's closure in 1944. The Museum oversaw the remaining astronomical instruments in the former Observatory site for many years during the 1950s and 1960s, which were retained for public viewing and use by the Astronomical Society of Victoria. Several smaller groups of material were transferred to the Museum during this period. The Weights & Measures Branch, which continued this function of the Observatory, progressively transferred items as they ceased to be of operational value.
Archival material relating to the Observatory is primarily held by the Public Record Office Victoria; some material that was sent to Mount Stromlo Observatory in 1944-45 is now held in the Australian Archives, Canberra. Several small groups of archives have been acquired by the Museum.
Items per page: 10 50 (showing 1 - 10) 295 items
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Digital Image - Portrait of Frederick Kemp, circa 1880
Portrait of Frederick Kemp, circa 1880. Kemp was assistant astronomer at Melbourne Observatory from 1873 to 1914.
Images: 1 -
Digital Image - Portrait of Frederick Kemp, circa 1895
Portrait of Frederick Kemp, circa 1895. Kemp was assistant astronomer at Melbourne Observatory from 1873 to 1914.
Images: 1 -
Digital Image - Poem on the Departure of Joseph Burley, Melbourne Observatory, 1890
Poem by W. J. Swan on the departure of Joseph Burley, Melbourne Observatory, 10 or 18 September 1890. Joseph Burley was a messenger and mechanical attendant at Melbourne Observatory fr ...
Images: 1 -
Photograph - South Collimating Mark, Melbourne Observatory, South Yarra, Victoria, circa 1 ...
Small building housing the south collimating mark at Melbourne Observatory. The collimating mark was on the meridian line of the East Transit Telescope, and used to check the alignment ...
Images: 2 -
Photograph - National Herbarium of Victoria, The Domain, South Yarra, Victoria, Jan 1935
Construction of the new building for the National Herbarium of Victoria, in the grounds of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. Photograph taken by Rolf Baldwin, son of the third Gove ...
Images: 2 -
Digital Image - Family Portrait of Kemp Family, Melbourne, circa 1886
Family portrait of Frederick Kemp, Emma Frances Kemp and children, Melbourne, circa 1886 Frederick Kemp standing at rear, Emma Frances Kemp (nee Lanham) on the left, Walter at right, B ...
Images: 2 -
Glass Negative - Solar Eclipse Expedition, Goondiwindi, Queensland, Sep 1922
In 1922, Victorian Government Astronomer Joseph Baldwin led a Melbourne Observatory solar eclipse expedition to Goondiwindi, Queensland, joining with another group from Sydney Observato ...
From: Goondiwindi, Australia Images: 1 -
No Image Available
Photograph - Construction of Oddie Dome at Mount Stromlo Observatory, 1911
Workers completing the construction of the Oddie telescope dome at Mount Stromlo, 1911. A 9 inch refracting telescope by Grubb, Dublin, was donated in 1910 by James Oddie of Ballarat, ...
From: Mt Stromlo, Australia Images: 0 -
No Image Available
Glass Negative - Construction of Astronomer's Residence, Melbourne Observatory, 1889
Construction of Astronomer's Residence, Melbourne Observatory, 1889.
From: South Yarra, Australia Images: 0 -
Engraving - Main Building, Melbourne Observatory, South Yarra, Victoria, 1880s
Coloured engraving of Main Building of Melbourne Observatory. Depicts the observatory after 1883 (when the East Transit Room was built) and prior to 1892 (when the Computing Room was bu ...
From: South Yarra, Australia Images: 1
