The Commonwealth Solar Observatory (by 1950 known as the Commonwealth Observatory) was established for the study of solar phenomena, for allied stellar and spectroscopic research, and for the investigation of associated terrestrial phenomena.
The first Director, Dr. W. G. Duffield was appointed as from 1 January 1924.
The initial step towards the establishment of a Solar Observatory in Australia was taken on 4 March 1907 when, as the result of a letter communicated to the Press of South Australia, inquiry was made into the possibility of the Adelaide Observatory undertaking this work. Subsequently the movement received the support of the International Solar Union, the Royal Society, the British Association for the Advancement of Science, the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, the Smithsonian Institution, and various other scientific bodies throughout the world, and in April 1908, a memorandum was presented to the Prime Minister setting forth the reasons why a Solar station in Australia was desirable. As the result of inquiries among the State Observatories, it was found that none of them had the necessary funds or equipment for undertaking the work. Committees for aiding in the establishment of a Solar Observatory in Australia were instituted by the British Association and by the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science.
The Committee of the last mentioned body sent a deputation to the Minister for Home Affairs in April 1909, and a public meeting was organised in the Melbourne Town Hall, presided over by the Governor General, and supported by the Governor of Victoria and delegates from all the Australian Universities and Observatories.
As a result of the public support which the movement had received in December 1909, the Prime Minister took the first official action towards the establishment of the Observatory by accepting the gift of a 9 inch refracting telescope from Mr James Oddie, of Ballarat, and by placing on the estimates a sum of money sufficient for the erection of a temporary building within the Federal Capital area wherein to house the telescope in order that the suitability of this might be examined. On 19 March, 1910, a conference of surveyors at Canberra, attended also by the Government Astronomer of Victoria, and by the Commonwealth Meteorologist recommended that Mt Stromlo should be the site of the temporary observatory. Mt Stromlo is part of a ridge of hills about seven miles west of Canberra.
On 8 September, 1911, the temporary observatory on Mt Stromlo was ready and Mr Pietro Baracchi (then Government Astronomer of Victoria) was commissioned to undertake observations to test the site, and two years later he reported that it was suitable for an observatory for solar and general astronomical research. In the meantime a sum of money, which had been collected for its partial equipment, was offered to the Commonwealth Government on behalf of the subscribers, but the offer was not accepted at the time.
In May 1913, a further memorandum by the then Director, setting forth certain aspects of Australia's participation in the international scheme of solar research, was transmitted to the government, and, in reply, the Secretary to the Department of External Affairs stated that when Canberra became the seat of government, provision would be made for the establishment amongst general scientific studies of a section to be devoted to solar physics.
In 1914, the visit of the British Association to Australia was made the occasion of a deputation of overseas Astronomers to the Prime Minister, which resulted in a conference with the Works and Railways Department to discuss the probable cost of housing on Mt Stromlo the apparatus which has been offered. The Government ultimately agreed to accept the donations and to arrange that observations be conducted when times were more favourable. The matter remained in abeyance during the war and until April 1923, when the Government decided to proceed with the establishment of the observatory. As a first step, a committee of British Astronomers was invited to act as a select committee to choose a director. W.G. Duffield was appointed as from 1 January 1924.
The Observatory is responsible for the accuracy of the Australian Time Service. The Observatory also works in close liaison with overseas observatories and major equipment has been installed in
co-operation with the University Observatories of Yale and Columbia (U.S.A.) and Uppsala (Sweden).
Dr Duffield died in 1929 and no successor was appointed for a number of years, but W.B. Rimmer acted as officer-in-charge. During this period work was done on spectroscopic parallaxes, measurements of solar radiation, atmospheric electricity observations, cosmic ray measurements and measurements of the atmosphere ozone. Ionospheric observations were also commenced in collaboration with the Radio Research Board.
In 1939, Dr R.V.D.R. Woolley was appointed Director. The astronomical work of the observatory was practically suspended during the war years, but during this time the observatory developed an optical shop and greatly enlarged its machine shop. In 1940, an Optical Munitions Annexe was set up for the manufacture, assembly and inspection of optical and mechanical components of military optical instruments. It closed in 1945.
Observations with a small transit telescope for time-determination were commenced in 1945, and the routine programme carried on at the observatory includes time-service, and ionospheric and solar
observations. Various programmes of stellar research have also been carried on, and a series of observations of visual double stars was secured using the 9-inch refractor. Photo-electric observations on variable stars have been obtained on the 30-inch reflector and the 6-inch refractor, and observations of stellar colour temperatures and measurements of the magnitudes of southern stars have been made on the former. Other instruments include a 50-inch telescope which incorporates parts of the Melbourne 48-inch reflector, and a 74-inch reflecting telescope made by Sir Howard Grubb, Parsons and Co. of Newcastle upon Tyne. On 5 February, 1952, a bushfire destroyed the workshop on Mt Stromlo Observatory, and machine tools valued at 50,000 pounds were lost. The main astronomical observatory received little damage.
In January 1957, as a result of the Mt Stromlo Observatory Act 1956 (No.79), the Commonwealth Observatory was transferred from the control of the Department of the Interior (CA 31) to the Australian National University (CA 863) as part of the Research School of Physical Sciences, and the name was changed to the Mount Stromlo Observatory.
The Mount Stromlo Observatory Act provided for the transfer of the administration of the Observatory at Mt Stromlo to the Australian National University. Therefore, the Minister responsible has been cited as that for the A.N.U., even though the Mount Stromlo Observatory Act 1956 has technically been administered by different departments.
According to the Administrative Arrangements Orders, the Mt Stromlo Observatory Act 1956 has been administered by the following departments:
01/06/1957 - 19/12/1972 CA 31 Department of Interior II 19/12/1972 - 08/02/1975 CA 1486 Department of Science
08/02/1975 - 22/12/1975 CA 1888 Department of Science and Consumer
Affairs
22/12/1975 - 05/12/1978 CA 1962 Department of Science II
05/12/1978 - 03/11/1980 CA 2749 Department of Science and the
Environment
03/11/1980 - 13/12/1984 CA 3069 Department of Science and Technology
13/12/1984 - 31/12/1986 CA 4136 Department of Science III
No reference to the Act was found in the AAOs after this date. However the Act was repealed in 1986 by the Statute Law (Misc Provisions) Act No 2, No 168 of 1986. Mount Stromlo Observatory continues under the control of Australian National University.
Directors of the Observatory have been:
1924-1929 : Dr W.G. Duffield
1929-1939 : W.B. Rimmer [Officer-in-charge]
1939-1955(Dec) : Dr. R.V.D.R. Woolley
1955 (Dec)-1957 (Mar) : Dr. Hogg (Acting)
1957 (Mar)-1966 (Mar) : Dr. B.J. Bok
1966 (Mar)-1979 : Dr. O.J. Eggen
1979- : Dr. D.S. Mathewson
Sources:
* Commonwealth Year Book, No. 19, 1926 pp 979
* Committee of Review-Civil Staffing of Wartime Activities. "Report on the Department of the Interior, 21st August 1945", p.2
* "The Australian National University. Report of the Council for the period 1st January 1955 to 31st December 1955", Commonwealth
Parliamentary Paper No. 32, p. 15
* "Report of the Council of the Australian National University for 1957", Commonwealth Parliamentary Paper No. 56, p. 21
* Commonwealth Year Book No. 44, 1958, p. 1094
* The Australian Encyclopaedia, 1963, Vol 1, p. 283
* "Report of the Council of the Australian National University for 1966", Commonwealth Parliamentary Paper No. 66, p. 45
* Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol 7: 1979 p. 167
* "Australian National University Annual Report 1979", Commonwealth Parliamentary Paper No. 328 of 1980, p. 66
Historical agency address
Mt Stromlo, Cotter Road, Canberra ACTLegislation administered
Commonwealth Act No. 79 of 1956, Mount Stromlo Observatory Act 1956: Repealed in 1986 by Schedule 2 of the Statute Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act No. 2, No. 168 of 1986