 | |||||
| Organization | Western Sydney University | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Campbelltown,New South Wales,Australia | ||||
| Coordinates | 34°04′S150°48′E / 34.07°S 150.8°E /-34.07; 150.8 | ||||
| Altitude | 100m | ||||
| Established | 15 July 2000 | ||||
| Website | Official Website | ||||
| Telescopes | |||||
| |||||
  Location of Campbelltown Rotary Observatory | |||||
 | |||||
 Related media on Commons | |||||
Campbelltown Rotary Observatory inCampbelltown,New South Wales, Australia, was opened in 2000 and is owned byWestern Sydney University. It consists of twin domes of 4.5m and 2.9m diameter. The patron of theObservatory was the lateSir Arthur C Clarke CBE. The Observatory Director (2000-2022) was the lateDr. Ragbir Bhathal. It was originally named UWS Rotary Observatory.
The observatory is utilised by Western Sydney University for itsOptical SETI Research Project[1] and as a field laboratory. It conducts the National Project on Significant Australian Physicists, Astrophysicists and Engineers and the National Project on Aboriginal Astronomy.[2] It also organises a community outreach program, including observing nights and public astronomy lectures, often in conjunction withMacarthur Astronomical Society and theMacarthur Astronomy Forum.
Its stated mission objective[3] is to:
The construction of the observatory was principally funded in cash and kind from the Campbelltown Branch ofRotary International and other local organisations.[4] It was opened on 15 July 2000 by theHon. Michael Knight (MP for Campbelltown and Minister for the2000 Olympics) on a small hilltop on land at the rear of theUniversity of Western Sydney Campbelltown Campus. The University was renamed Western Sydney University in 2015.
Both domes were equipped with aMeade LX200Schmidt–Cassegraintelescope (400mm and 300mm diameter respectively).[4]
In December 2008, Dr Bhathal detected a sharp 'laser look-alike' signal emanating from theglobular cluster47 Tucanae.[5] However, despite further searches, the signal has yet to be replicated.
In 2013 the land on which the observatory stood was sold to make way for the new residential suburb ofMacarthur Heights[6] and the observatory domes were temporarily closed and removed, while the hill was bulldozed. The observatory was reopened in 2015 in a new position closer to the University campus buildings. The developers of the new estate of Macarthur Heights recognised the astronomical heritage of the site by naming new streets with an astronomical theme and by erecting an astro-sculpture known as the Gates of Light[7] in a public park close to the new and old observatory sites. The first public night in the new location was held in collaboration withMacarthur Astronomical Society on 5 December 2015.[8]
Originally named as UWS Rotary Observatory, since its relocation in 2015 it has been known as Campbelltown Rotary Observatory.
