Great Melbourne Telescope

[SteveG (Steve)]

The Great Melbourne Telescope, generally considered a Great failure, was only credited with two discoveries in the NGC despite 20 years of active service. With a 48-inch aperture (speculum mirror), I always found it hard to believe that additional southern galaxies as well as new LMC clusters and nebulae weren't discovered with this enormous scope.

I recently searched the National Archives of Australia website and found they had digital copies of observing logs for the GMT. I was excited to find that nearly 70 discoveries made with the GMT were never published, mostly by Pietro Baracchi between 1884 and 1888. As an example, Baracchi made 17 uncredited discoveries in the Centaurus cluster, 6 in the Hydra I cluster and 6 in the Antlia cluster.

You can read "The lost Deep Sky discoveries with the Great Melbourne Telescope" on my website Adventures in Deep Space. I've included data on all the discoveries, as well as my observing notes on many of these.

Susan Young has also created an excellent blog titled "The Baracchi 59" on her web site Sand & Stars. She has a short biography on Baracchi and more information on the GMT.

Should make a Great observing challenge!!

[GrampianStars (Rob)]

Thanks Steve

That's great work .
I'll check them out throughout the coming year 2019
The challenge 2 glimpse what can be resolved by a 12" SCT.

[taminga16 (Greg)]

I seem to recall seeing an article somewhere suggesting that the 'GMT' was returned from Canberra after the fires and is being restored in Melbourne.

[Kunama]

Originally Posted by SteveG

The Great Melbourne Telescope, generally considered a Great failure, was only credited with two discoveries in the NGC despite 20 years of active service. With a 48-inch aperture (speculum mirror), I always found it hard to believe that additional southern galaxies as well as new LMC clusters and nebulae weren't discovered with this enormous scope.

I recently searched the National Archives of Australia website and found they had digital copies of observing logs for the GMT. I was excited to find that nearly 70 discoveries made with the GMT were never published, mostly by Pietro Baracchi between 1884 and 1888. As an example, Baracchi made 17 uncredited discoveries in the Centaurus cluster, 6 in the Hydra I cluster and 6 in the Antlia cluster.

You can read "The lost Deep Sky discoveries with the Great Melbourne Telescope" on my website Adventures in Deep Space. I've included data on all the discoveries, as well as my observing notes on many of these.

Susan Young has also created an excellent blog titled "The Baracchi 59" on her web site Sand & Stars. She has a short biography on Baracchi and more information on the GMT.

Should make a Great observing challenge!!

Thanks for this Steve. Looks like I have some new targets to chase down...
I am heading down to Kiandra again soon, this time with the 18".

Not sure if you have been aware of the restoration of the GMT that is happening in Melbourne since the Mt Stromlo Observatory was destroyed in the firestorm..... https://asv.org.au/greatmelbournetelescope

[taminga16 (Greg)]

https://greatmelbournetelescope.org.au/news/

[multiweb (Marc)]

Fascinating read.

[ngcles]

Hi Steve & All,

Excellent work -- very well done. I'll get to reading all this in detail over the next few weeks I hope. Looks like a number of observing projects in there -- thanks!

Best,

L.

[Granada]

Originally Posted by SteveG

The Great Melbourne Telescope, generally considered a Great failure

I've never heard anyone say this before. In fact I've only heard & read great things about it like how large and complex the telescope was, and what an engineering feat it had been at the time. Source: ASV and TGMT book by Richard Gillespie

[The Mekon (John Briggs)]

Originally Posted by Granada

I've never heard anyone say this before. In fact I've only heard & read great things about it like how large and complex the telescope was, and what an engineering feat it had been at the time. Source: ASV and TGMT book by Richard Gillespie

H.C. King - The History of the Telescope. pp265-7. includes a quote from G.W. Ritchey regarding the lack of success for this instrument.

[pmrid (Peter)]

Originally Posted by Granada

I've never heard anyone say this before. In fact I've only heard & read great things about it like how large and complex the telescope was, and what an engineering feat it had been at the time. Source: ASV and TGMT book by Richard Gillespie

A distant memory says the original speculum mirror was the source of many of the scope's later issues. I'd be interested to read any commentary on this.

Peter

[erick (Eric)]

I found this book (mentioned below) to be a great read:

https://museumsvictoria.com.au/books...rne-telescope/

[gary]

Originally Posted by pmrid

A distant memory says the original speculum mirror was the source of many of the scope's later issues. I'd be interested to read any commentary on this.

Peter

Fred Watson in his book "Stargazer - The Life And Times Of The Telescope"
documents the disappointment with the Great Melbourne Telescope
in Chapter 13 entitled "Heartbreaker".

Amongst the telescope's many shortcomings, Fred details that the
Southern Telescope Committee's decision to stick with the conservative
choice of a metal speculum mirror rather than risk trying the then new
technology of a thin layer of silver on glass "was a fateful decision,
and without doubt was one of the contributors to the telescope's
eventual failure to live up to expectations".

Fred also quotes George Ritchey who noted that the failure of the
telescope ended up setting back the development of large reflector
telescopes universally and that as a result, refractors boldly swung
back into prominence.

Originally Posted by George Ritchey, 1904

“I consider the failure of the Melbourne Instrument to have been one of the greatest
calamities in the history of instrumental astronomy; for by destroying confidence in the
usefulness of great reflecting telescopes, it has hindered the development of this type of
instrument, so wonderfully efficient in photographic and spectroscopic work, for nearly a third
of a century”.

As Fred details, the world had moved on from pencil sketching of nebulae to astrophotography
and even the mirror's staggering 50.6m focal length diluted the faint light too much to make photography
practical.

I recommend Fred's book for additional background.