New Horizons - 'Avec un ciel vierge'
A new land and a new sky - as well as specimens to collect, Australia
offered a new platform for observing, a new perspective on the
heavens. Australian scientists took advantage of this opportunity
- observatories were among the first scientific institutions to
be established, and skilled observers like John Tebbutt developed
international reputations. Astronomy could thereby serve as a
symbol of cultural achievement and maturity, as demonstrated by
the construction of the Great Melbourne Telescope. Australia has
remained a major contributor to astronomical research. The Great
Melbourne Telescope itself is still in service - now over 100
years old it scans the skies for evidence of dark matter.
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