Brisbane City & lunar crater - there's a connection!

[mental4astro]

Hi all,

Not sure where to place this thread, so if it isn't in the correct forum, mods please change.

I was researching the craters of a sketch I completed last night and I came across the name of one of them as being Brisbane. Sir Thomas Brisbane, after whom the crater is named, was an astronomer AND the sixth Governor of NSW, straight after Macquarie, and after whom the City of Brisbane is named!

Dead set, I never expected to be enlightened on Australian history by way of a lunar sketch. What a marvelous connection!

And fancy that, a major city of Australia named after an astronomer, albeit from his role as Governor of the new colony.

Thomas Brisbane was also responsible for sponsoring James Dunlop, and for building the first observatory at Parramatta. Dunlop's contribution to astronomy was to discover hundreds of DSO's. Dunlop was Brisbane's "assistant", as Brisbane was who held the title of astronomer, but it was Dunlop who did the work while Brisbane tended to his responsiblities as Governor. Fellow IIS'er, glenc, has done much work on James Dunlop. Glen's got a thread and article going on the Dunlop 150 objects (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=79654) in the Obs forum in case you'd like to see which objects were first discovered out in Parramatta, one of which is Centaurus A.

I just had to share this little bit of history. I'll post the sketch which led to this 'discovery' shortly.

Mental.

[Liz]

very interesting, thanks Alex. :)

[lacad01]

Interesting piece of history there Alex, thanks for sharing that

[tlgerdes]

I thought you were going to say something like all people from Brisbane are "lunies" because there city is named after a crater.:lol:

[mithrandir]

Alex, here (http://www.ppt.nsw.gov.au/education/pdf-brochures/Observatory%20Brochure%20final.pdf) 's the link to Parramatta Park Trust's flyer on Brisbane's observatory. Brisbane brought with him Carl Rumker and James Dunlop, author of the Dunlop Catalog.

[mental4astro]

Here's the sketch of the Brisbane crater region, and a labled image to help identify.

I did the sketch using my 30 year old orange tube C8 (love it!!!), and a TMB Planetary Type II 9mm, 222X. I used soft pastel, charcoal and white ink. Took about two hours to complete.

I regularly post my lunar sketches in the Obs. forum sticky Sketch the Moon Night (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=67296).

Mental.

[jjjnettie]

Wow Alex, I love your sketches. :)
Thanks for the info. It's really very interesting.

[Nico13]

Alex this is a great sketch :thumbsup: and yes the history is fascinating isn't it.

I had read about this very thing in the Age Perry Vlahos's Astronomy section on Thursday's.

A more recent one is the Curiosity Rover landing site on Mars, Gale Crater.
This crater is named after Walter Gale an amateur Astonomer from Sydney who observed Mars in the late 18th Century.

Might have a bit of trouble sketching that one hey :P

Funny thing is the mountain in the middle of the crater resembles a map of OZ in a mirror image, it even has Tassie on the bottom and a Cyclone over Darwin. :lol:

Sorry Alex, not trying to Hyjack your thread, just found it interesting.:)

[Zhou]

Also, the Mars rover Opportunity is at the crater Endevour; the various features of this crater are named after Australian places named by Captain James Cook (Cape York, Botany Bay etc...).

[mental4astro]

Ken, not at all! I'm actually glad you did :D. It adds to the theme that's now developing in this thread. Thank you!

This all helps revive our history.

For what it's worth, there is another cluster of craters that I'm hoping to pen. Namely the trio Cook, Colombo (for Columbus) and Magelhaens (for Magellan). Three big names in human history. The phase and weather was favourable, but not the time of the week for a ping. I'm hoping to nab them close to the terminator for most detail.

There is another trio that will test everybody, observer and photographer alike: Armstrong (4km diam.), Aldrin (3km) and Collins (2km). Anyone pin these puppies?

Mental.

[PeterM]

From the history of Brisbane site below - a Scotsman he was.

"Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, is named for Sir Thomas Brisbane (1773–1860), British soldier and colonial administrator born in Ayrshire, Scotland. Sir Thomas Brisbane was Governor of New South Wales at the time that Brisbane was named."
http://www.onlybrisbane.com.au/mobile/guide/reference/history-of/history-of-brisbane

And of course not forgetting the wonderful Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium - a must for Astro minded visitors to Brisvegas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Thomas_Brisbane_Planetarium

And this beauty showing a model of his scottish observatory and a link to Encke's comet!
http://www.sydneyobservatory.com.au/2009/john-reports-on-sir-thomas-brisbane%E2%80%99s-scottish-observatories-and-his-connection-to-astronomy-in-australia/

Parramatta Observatory being known as "The Greenwich of the Southern Hemisphere" I did not know.

Thanks Alexander for an interesting thread. Some of this I knew but so much more comes out when you start digging.

[Paddy]

Thanks for a very interesting thread Alex.

[Suzy]

I learned something new today!
I didn't realise until fellow member, Tom Harradine posted a brilliant infographic of it on facebook (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1195552267137254&set=a.203297106362780.60596.1000004 74764822&type=1&theater)today. And then I started hunting for information and this thread came up on my first Google search :D.

Amazing sketches as usual Alex and thanks for the information, along with others who've contributed.

[firstlight]

Great sketch Alex. I imaged this region 6 years ago... should have another go sometime with favourable libration. See you at Astrofest next week.

Cheers
Tony