Mount Stromlo and Siding Spring Observatories

Optical observatories belonging to the Australian National University (ANU) and operated by the university's Institute of Advanced Studies. Observing facilities are located at Mount Stromlo, near Canberra, and at Siding Spring in New South Wales. It was founded in 1924 as the Commonwealth Solar Observatory. After World War II, it changed to being an astrophysical observatory and became part of the Institute of Advanced Studies of the ANU. The administration is located at Mount Stromlo, together with 1.9-metre (74-inch), 76-centimetre (30-inch) and 66-centimetre (26-inch) telescopes. At the Siding Spring site, which was established in 1962, the Observatories operate a 2.3-metre (90-inch) altazimuth reflector, and 1-metre (40-inch), 66-centimetre (26-inch) and 61-centimetre (24-inch) telescopes. The development of the city of Canberra made it necessary to find a site more suitable for optical astronomy than Mount Stromlo. Siding Spring Mountain is at an altitude of 1,000 metres (3,200 feet) in the Warrumbungle range, most of which forms a national park. This observatory site now also houses a number of telescopes owned by organizations other than the ANU. These are the United Kingdom Schmidt Telescope, the Anglo-Australian Telescope and a Swedish Schmidt camera.