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Research by Gordon Freegard First Perth Observatory] The original Perth Observatory was constructed in 1896 and was officially opened in 1900 by John Forrest, the first Premier of Western Australia. The observatory was located at Mount Eliza overlooking the City of Perth. Its chief roles were keeping Standard Time for Western Australia and Meteorological data collection. In February 1896, William Ernest Cooke was appointed the first Western Australian Government Astronomer after a similar posting at
the Adelaide Observatory. He began his new post at temporary quarters in the
Legislative Council building and started upgrading the meteorological system
initiated in 1867. Meanwhile, plans for the Observatory buildings were being
prepared while the site was being surveyed by the officers of the Colonial
Architect’s Department. The contract for the main building was let on 2 July
1896 for £6,622.19s, with a completion date of 3 March 1897. The foundation
stone was subsequently laid on 29 September 1896. |
PREMIER JOHN FORREST LAYING FOUNDATION STONE #1 |
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THE FOUNDATION STONE #2 |
By the time the building was completed at the end of 1897, it had cost over seven thousand pounds ($14,000). In keeping with the intended use of the building, the Government Astronomer, W. E. Cooke, had prepared a design for the foundation stone that indicated the positions of the various planets in the zodiacal constellations at the time the stone was to be laid. On arrival in Perth, his first task was to determine the exact latitude and longitude of the colony. He was also able to determine the time of day with great accuracy. Before his arrival clocks could vary by up to half an hour. The time was announced each day by a cannon still present on the grounds. The design was by the government architect, George Temple-Poole, and features a bold combination of styles.
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THE OBSERVATORY UNDER
CONSTRUCTION #3 |
THE OBSERVATORY
NEARING COMPLETION #4 |
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WILLIAM ERNEST
COOKE #5 |
THE OBSERVATORY
NEARING COMPLETION #6
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Cooke developed a time service that linked the Observatory electrically to a State-wide network, providing regular time signals to shipping at Fremantle, the State railways, the post office telegraph system, and controlled public clocks in Fremantle and Perth. In 1899, a public clock was placed at the entrance gates to the grounds on Malcolm Street and, in 1901-02, a time gun (cannon) was set up on the eastern slope of the site, facing the city, and fired daily for a 1pm time signal.
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WILLIAM ERNEST
COOKE #7 |
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OBSERVATORY STAFF c1900 #8 |
THE OBSERVATORY
COMPLETED #9 |
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PERTH OBSERVATORY 1899 #10 |
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PERTH OBSERVATORY 1909c #11 |
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PERTH OBSERVATORY 1912 #12 |
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PERTH OBSERVATORY #13 |
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PERTH OBSERVATORY 1961 #14 |
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Cooke toured the state
extensively, visiting as far north as Wyndham and inland along the Murchison River. He
established several new meteorological stations along the way, training local
observers and equipping the stations. Weather data was transmitted from the
country stations twice a day to the General Post Office in Perth by telegraph.
He established a number of voluntary observation posts who transmitted weather
data on a monthly basis. Using the observations, he produced the first daily
weather maps and daily forecasts, for Perth, the Goldfields and the state. By
about 1900, a general weather report, a special rainfall report, an isobar map and a forecast were
produced each morning and posted for viewing in Perth and Fremantle. He established the first
official time service on his arrival in Perth. Using a chronometer and a borrowed theodolite,
he determined an accurate solar time each night, clear skies permitting, and a
time signal was telegraphed to the GPO at noon each day.
CHRONOMETER #15 |
WEATHER MAPS PRODUCED BY COOKE #16 |
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In 1897 a small transit
telescope replaced the theodolite and in about 1898 two
standard German precision clocks were installed to track sidereal time and solar mean
time. Several methods of broadcasting the time were used: · A time ball was dropped at 1 p.m. daily at the Round House at Fremantle · A time ball was dropped daily at the premises of
opticians, 'Frost and Stopham' in Hay Street,
Perth · A public clock controlled by the Observatory mean
solar clock was installed at the Observatory front gates · A parent clock controlled by the mean solar clock
was installed at Perth Railway Station, and time signals
were telegraphed across the railway network · Time signals from two clocks at the main telegraph room at the Perth General Post Office were telegraphed to every telegraph station in the state · A time gun was fired at 1 p.m. at Perth and
Fremantle A six-pound cannon was purchased by the Observatory in November 1902 and used as a time gun.
DRAWING OF TIME CANNON BEING FIRED #18 |
THEODOLITE #17 The Observatory's two main telescopes arrived in 1898–99 but were not fully commissioned until October 1901. |
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PERTH OBSERVATORY #19 He recognised that by using radio signals from
other parts of the world would enable the accurate measurement of longitude. He
worked with his son Basil, a pioneer amateur radio operator, who received time
signals from Lyons,
France. This technique was used in 1921 by the WA Government
Astronomer, Curlewis and the SA Government Astronomer, Dodwell,
at Deakin, Western Australia to fix a
position for the 129th meridian east longitude (129°
east). The
same group also traveled to Wyndham, Western Australia to determine the WA/NT border on
the ground. · Was influential in the introduction of probabilistic weather forecasts · Cooke is said to have patented over one hundred
inventions Satellite 3894 William
Cooke and Mount Cooke in
the Darling Scarp near Jarrahdale are named in his honour. |
Achievements · His star cataloguing system was accepted at an
international astronomical conference in Paris in 1909. · He developed a method of plotting the transit
of tropical cyclones, and issuing weather warnings
for shipping and pearling industries He invented a type of heliochronometer which could be used to determine local time and true north accurately. The device was known as a sunclock. In 1924 the device won a gold medal at the British Empire Exhibition.
TYPE OF
HELIOCHRONOMETER #20
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PERTH OBSERVATORY c1930 #21 |
PERTH OBSERVATORY #22 |
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OLD PERTH OBSERVATORY BUILDING NOW OCCUPIED BY NATIONAL TRUST #23 |
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The observatory
dome was demolished in the 1960s to make way for the building of Dumas House
for government offices, but the former chief astronomer’s house remains, and is
now occupied by the National Trust. New observatory at Bickley[ In the 1960s, light pollution from the city of Perth and a small part of the implementation of the 1955 plan by Stephenson-Hepburn Report saw the land where the Perth Observatory resided make way for what was to initially be five government office blocks, however there was only one ever built, Dumas House. After nearly being closed by the State Government, the Observatory was moved to its current site at Bickley near Mount Gungin in the Darling Range. When the land was being cleared for the
site at Bickley a huge tree had to be felled. Unfortunately it fell the wrong
way and crushed the tree-fellers car.
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OBSERVATORY DOME BEING DEMOLISHED 1960s #24 |
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CLEARING THE NEW BICKLEY SITE FEBRUARY 1964 #25 |
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NEW OBSERVATORY
BUILDINGS AT BICKLEY #26 |
By mid 1965, construction on the Administration building was well underway and in December 1965, the staff moved in.
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NEW OBSERVATORY
BUILDINGS AT BICKLEY #27 |
NEW OBSERVATORY
BUILDINGS AT BICKLEY #28 |
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The official opening of the Perth (Bickley) Observatory occurred on 30th September 1966, by Sir David Brand, Premier of Western Australia and a new foundation stone was laid, 70 years and one day since the previous foundation stone was laid for the Perth Observatory. The Observatory cost $600,000 to construct.
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NEW OBSERVATORY
BUILDINGS AT BICKLEY #29 |
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OPENING OF NEW
OBSERVATORY BUILDINGS AT BICKLEY #30 |
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CLOCK ROOM #31 |
MERIDIAN ROOM Note: PAPER TAPE ROLLS FOR FIRST EVER GIER
COMUPTER #32 |
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INSIDE ENTRANCE TO NEW OBSERVATORY #33 |
K. D. GRIFFITHS
USING ZEISS-JENA PLATE MEASURING MACHINE
#34 |
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After the administration building was completed, work on the telescope domes commenced. All work performed was by hand, with no drilling or blasting performed on the laterite rock, so as to ensure the stability of the site for use by the sensitive telescopes and measuring equipment. The measures to ensure stability can be identified by the use of 50-year-old bricks, from the old W.A. Claremont Mental Asylum, being used for the piers of the Meridian Telescope.
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MERIDIAN 1st AUGUST 1965 #35
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MERIDIAN 1968 #36 |
MERIDIAN #37 |
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CONSTRUCTION OF LOWELL TELESCOPE BUILDING #38 |
CONSTRUCTION OF LOWELL TELESCOPE BUILDING #39 |
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DOME AFTER BEING
TRANSPORTED TO BICKLEY #40 |
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\ LOWELL TELESCOPE BUILDING #41 |
LOWELL TELESCOPE BUILDING #42 |
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LOWELL TELESCOPE BUILDING #43
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High up in the observatory tower is
the Lowell telescope It was donated by the Lowell
Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona so Perth could be part of a NASA program, the
International Planetary Patrol, from 1970 to 1976. When the Lowell Telescope was first installed at Bickley, there was a problem with the shutters that open to allow the telescope to view the stars. They were jammed open so a tarpaulin had to be pulled over the opening after every use. This tedious move had to be implemented again in recent years when there was a power failure.
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VISITING GERMAN ASTRONOMERS FROM HAMBURG #44 |
24 Inch LOWELL
TELESCOPE #45 |
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16 Inch TELESCOPE #46 |
Whilst Honorary Historian, Dr. Muriel Utting wrote three books on the early history of the Observatory. This fantastic record is an invaluable record of the operations of the Observatory from 1896 to 1962. The Perth Observatory has a tradition of nominating honorary historians and Mr. Craig Bowers currently holds that office having succeeded Dr. Utting. Craig is an excellent historian to write the next chapter of the history of the Perth Observatory as he worked as an astronomer for periods in the 1980s and 1990s. Craig knew many of the people and was personally involved in some of the astronomical programs and discoveries - most significantly the discovery of the "spiral arms" in comet Halley. |
DR. MURIEL UTTING
Honorary Historian #47 |
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PERTH OBSERVATORY FROM THE AIR #51 |
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Recent history The observatory has
fought off several attempts to close the facility by the State Government, the most
serious being in 1987 when it was part of the Department of State Services. An
outcry from the public, scientific and amateur communities was helpful in
retaining the observatory. Centenary 1996 In January 1996, the centenary of its foundation, the observatory was transferred to the Department of Conservation and Land Management, now part of the Department of Parks and Wildlife (Western Australia).
Bickley Observatory heritage listed In 2005 the Bickley site
was heritage listed, being Australia's oldest continuing operating observatory
and Australia's only remaining State Government operated astronomical observatory |
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MATT WOODS #48 |
In 2013 the State Government cut the research program at the Bickley observatory,
and two years later all staff but one, a caretaker, were made redundant. As of July 2015, The
Perth Observatory Volunteer Group runs the Observatory under a community
partnership agreement between the Department of Parks and Wildlife and the
Perth Observatory Volunteer Group which was signed in June 2015. |
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It's no longer a research
site, but a dedicated group of volunteers who love staring at the night sky are
determined to keep the Perth Observatory open. Telescopes Housed in special domes in the tree-lined grounds are the Observatory's four major telescopes. The largest instrument, the automated Perth-Lowell 61-cm Cassegrain Reflector, is used for CCD (electronic} imaging, photometry and photography. The 33-cm Astrographic Refractor, the original main instrument, has been in use since 1901 when it was used to photographically map the southern skies. It is now used to photograph comets and asteroids in order for their orbits to be calculated. The 41-cm University Reflector was built by the University of WA Physics Department and is now mainly used for deep-sky photography. Recently, a 25-cm Robotic Telescope was built in the Observatory's workshop. It is equipped with a CCD camera and is used to track comets and asteroids, and monitor the brightness of stars. A public viewing facility has been established and is equipped with several telescopes. Pride of place in this facility is the fully restored 32-cm Calver Telescope. It was originally purchased for the public to view Halley's Comet - during the 1910 apparition! A 35-cm Schmidt Cassegrain Reflector is also used for public viewing as well as teaching. Century-old astrographic
telescope preserved It also still houses the first telescope
bought when the observatory was founded in West Perth in 1896, along
with the original mount and dome, which was transported intact when the
observatory moved to the hills in 1962. "It was one of the first jobs that our first
government astronomer, Sir William Ernest Cooke, had after planting the
foundation stone," Mr Woods said. "He got on a ship, went to England and did a
tour of the telescope makers." Cooke settled on a telescope made by famed Irish
maker Sir Howard Grubb and it was installed by 1901. "It is actually two telescopes — one where you
look out and one with the glass plate for capturing images," Mr Woods
said.
The collection includes 100-year old telescopes,
seismographs, meteorological instruments, clocks and chronometers,
architectural drawings, glass photographic plates, working papers and
correspondence. The POVG has been working for the last four years
identifying and cataloguing the heritage collection and now seeks to better
interpret and display parts of that collection. The first step in this
process is the development of an interpretation plan. The plan is expected to be completed by the end of
2016 and with it, the POVG will look to revamp its existing display spaces.
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Perth's unique view of the universe These days the facility's volunteers
run night sky tours, day tours with school groups and look after the telescopes
and grounds in the Bickley hills. The observatory is also a museum dedicated to
Perth's long history in astronomy research. It was responsible for 10 per cent of
the images captured worldwide of Halley's comet in the 1980s, and was one of
two observatories that discovered the rings around Uranus. "We live in an area where there
are telescopes on the east coast and then there is nothing else until you get
to South Africa, so we are smack, bang in the middle of where we need to
be," Mr Woods said. Perth joins the International
Planetary Patrol "We were part of a group of
different telescopes where NASA could get 24/7 access to Venus, Mars, Jupiter,
Saturn," Mr Woods explained. "They had probes and they wanted
to see cloud rotations on Venus. "With Mars, they were looking
for dust storms because the Mariner probes were going out there." The Lowell telescope is more of a
giant camera; it cannot be used to view space directly. With its huge lens pointed skyward,
the astronomers would take photographs on film and analyse them after they were
developed. In 1976 it was instrumental in the
discovery of rings around Uranus — a realisation only made when they looked at
the developed film the next day. Nothing beats looking at the
stars While the Government has now switched
its focus and funding to radio astronomy, including the Square Kilometre Array
in the Mid West, among the general public there is an enduring fondness for
old-fashioned stargazing. The observatory hosts hundreds of
visitors, even during winter, on its tours. "There is something about just looking through
an actual eye piece and seeing it for yourself," Mr Woods said. "There is nothing like looking at Saturn and
seeing the rings on a crisp night, seeing the actual division between the
rings. "Or seeing something like the Tarantula Nebula
which is 160,000 light years away from our own galaxy. "Stuff like that just blows your mind when you
have a look at it and you just see what an awesome place the universe is." The Perth Observatory is Western Australia’s oldest observatory which is
located 35km east of Perth in Bickley. The Observatory has served WA for over
120 years and remains actively involved in the service of public education
through Day Tours for schools and Night Sky Tours for the public. In recognition
of its scientific, cultural and historical significance, the Observatory was
entered on the state’s Heritage Register in 2005. As of the 1st of July
2015, the Perth Observatory Volunteer Group has been running the Observatory
for the Western Australian Government, so we can continue to provide the
Observatory with a bright future and a place to inspire the public and young
minds. Some of the important research that has been completed at the
Observatory include: ·
Co-discovered Uranus’s ring system ·
Publishing numerous Meridian Catalogues during its
history ·
Was part of the NASA International Planetary Patrol
in partnership with the Lowell Observatory ·
Our Astrographic telescope produced 10% of all
ground-based positions for Comet Halley ·
Our Automated Supernova Search has discovered 30
supernovae ·
Discovered 29 Minor Planets between 1970 and 1999 ·
Helped discover the super-earth exoplanet
OGLE-2005-BLG-390lb
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RESTORED 1899 6-inch TROUGHTON & SIMMS MERIDAN TELESCOPE #49
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The Observatory conducts many and varied tours and talks. They are very active with special programs for school visits. For full details visit their website. Of interest for viewing is the fully restored 1899 6-inch Troughton & Simms Meridan Transit Cirle Telescope on display in the front foyer of the Perth Observatory at Bickley. Also you must view the rare astronomical book,"Atlas Coelestic" by the first Government Astronomer of England. This book was donated to the Perth Observatory in August 2001 and is believed to be one of only ten in the world.
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RESTORED 1899 6-inch TROUGHTON & SIMMS MERIDAN TELESCOPE #50
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Every endeavour has been made to accurately record the details however if you would like to provide additional images and/or newer information we are pleased to update the details on this site. Please click here to email us at info@pickeringbrookhistory.com We appreciate your involvement in recording the history of our area.
References: Article: Gordon Freegard Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22, 40 Battye Library
Copyright : Gordon Freegard 2008-2020
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