Mt Stromlo telescopes being restored

[torana68]

Hi all,
Does anyone know any of the people involved in the restoration of the 50" Great Melbourne Telescope or the Oddie from Mt Stromlo? the GMT is back in Melbourne with a team from the Astronomical Society of Victoria
and the Museum of Victoria . I cant find any info on where the Oddie is? Id be interested in any links so I can watch the progress or Ill do it the old way and go say hello if I get a chance.
thanks :D
Roger

[bloodhound31]

I had a play with the Oddie a couple of months ago. I almost cried when I saw it and had a chance to understand it's mechanism, part of which still works.

I know there were a heap of technical people there a while ago, attempting to reconstruct the measurements from it into accurate CAD drawings, but I don't know where they are up to at the moment.

In respect to the observatories up there, the heat was so intense from the fires, that all the running gear inside the domes, including aluminium, (melting temperature of 660 degrees celcius), melted beyond repair. To rebuild they will have to start again from scratch and funding is the main problem.

I will try to find out more this week.

Baz.

[Wavytone]

Aah many memories of the Oddie in the 70's, I had access on Monday nights for several years before it was opened to CAS, schools and the public more generally. 9" f/16...

It had a clockwork drive with a governor much like the ones on the (much smaller) Unitron mounts, the main difference being sheer size, and that it took two hands to crank up the weight for a nights tracking.

It had a plate camera on top - 5" f/5 triplet that took quarter-plates, though you had to use filters to get decent star images out of it. I can recall using a box of III-aj plates on it one year then deciding it was crap anyway and instead piggy-backed my 8" f/7 Newtonian on top with SLR body attached and VERY long shutter release, and used the Oddie for guiding. That combination took far better photos.

It was an interesting antique while it worked, but now that it's gone I don't think there is much point rebuilding it - as a scope for use by suitable amateurs or a teaching scope for the postgrads a well equipped 40cm LX200 would be much better.

The Oddie had the best site on the mountain - on many nights the Oddie was clear of the fog that often rolled in to cover the 72" and GMT.

[torana68]

I doubt it is intended to use it for amateur work and Im more interested in it from a historical and engineering point, even if it ends up in a museum Id rather see that than it sitting up on Stromlo rusting away. The GMT is lucky as anything that was taken off as it was modified and modernised ended up back in the Museum of Victoria so now they have 75% of the original down there, hopefully both will be restored and on public display eventually.
Roger :D

[torana68]

an update on the GMT, seems restoration has begun and it will be returned to the original observitory and put to use.

http://greatmelbournetelescope.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/03_Phoenix_November_09.pdf

[torana68]

this is the new site for the GMT restoration
http://greatmelbournetelescope.org.au/
Roger

[gary]

Hi Roger,

One of the volunteers involved is retired engineer, Barry Clark who gave
a presentation to some of us up at Coonabarabran earlier this year on some
of the work being done.

Fred Watson devotes an interesting section in his book, "Stargazer",
to the GMT.

[MuntiNZ]

So if most of it was destroyed is it really restored or just a new one?
Thats like restored aeroplanes with the only original bit is may be a dash board dial or some thing and the whole rest of the plane is completely fabbed up from scratch!
Not really a restored plane at all just a replica with 1 or 2 bits of an original plane stuck on it.

[telemarker]

Apparently 90% of the original is available for restoration. As components were modernised and upgraded after shifting from Melb to Canberra, the originals were put in storage. This is detailed on the referenced website.

[torana68]

it will be the real deal, all original structure in its original mount in its original location....