The Greenhill Observatory is an astronomical observatory operated by the
University of Tasmania
The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College (University of Tasmania), Christ College, one of the unive ...
(UTAS)
on Bisdee Tier, near Spring Hill, Tasmania. The observatory is located roughly 50 km (30 miles) north of
Hobart
Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...
, (
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
). The nearest municipality is the village of
Jericho
Jericho ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and the capital of the Jericho Governorate. Jericho is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It had a population of 20,907 in 2017.
F ...
. The observatory was officially opened by the Governor of Tasmania in February, 2013. The facility is named in honour of longtime University of Tasmania astrophysicist Dr John G. Greenhill (1933-2014).
Telescopes
The site replaces the University of Tasmania's previous observatory at
Canopus Hill
Canopus Hill is located on the island of East Falkland near Stanley, the capital city of the Falkland Islands. It is named after , which fired the first shots in the Battle of the Falkland Islands during World War I
World War I or th ...
, near Hobart. The site was developed with the installation of a 1.3 m telescope in mind, and consideration given for possible future expansion. One telescope is currently hosted, the Harlingten Telescope (H127).
* The H127 is a diameter reflector of modified Ritchey-Chrétien design, on an equatorial fork mount. The H127 has a rotating tertiary mirror and wide-field corrector lenses installed at two folded Cassegrain (Nasmyth) focal stations, allowing rapid switching between instruments. The H127 was donated to the University of Tasmania by Mr Caisey Harlingten.
* In January 2023, a antenna with bi-static radar capability was unveiled. It will be used to locate satellites and space debris.
See also
*
Mount Pleasant Radio Observatory
The Mount Pleasant Radio Observatory is a radio astronomy, radio-astronomy-based observatory owned and operated by the University of Tasmania, located 20 km east of Hobart in Cambridge, Tasmania. It is home to three radio astronomy antennas ...
*
List of astronomical observatories
This is a partial list of astronomical observatories ordered by name, along with initial dates of operation (where an accurate date is available) and location. The list also includes a final year of operation for many observatories that are no lon ...
References
External links
Mathematics and Physicsat the University of Tasmania
Astronomy at UTAS
Greenhill ObservatoryFacebook page
{{Portal bar, Australia, Astronomy, Stars, Spaceflight, Outer space, Solar System, Education, Science
Astronomical observatories in Tasmania
University of Tasmania