Harry Wendt

Early Australian optical and radio observations of Centaurus A

The discovery of the radio source Centaurus A and its optical counterpart NGC 5128 were important landmarks in the history of Australian astronomy. NGC 5128 was first observed in August 1826 by James Dunlop during a survey of southern objects at the Parramatta Observatory, west of the settlement at Sydney Cove. The observatory had been founded a few years earlier by Thomas Brisbane, the new governor of the British colony of New South Wales. Just over 120 years later, John Bolton, Gordon Stanley and Bruce Slee discovered the radio source Centaurus A at the Dover Heights field station in Sydney, operated by CSIROs Radiophysics Laboratory (the forerunner to CSIRO Astronomy and Space Sciences). This paper will describe this early historical work and summarize further studies of Centaurus A by other Radiophysics groups up to 1960.

The Contribution of the Division of Radiophysics Potts Hill Field Station to International Radio Astronomy

During the 1950s Australia was one of the world’s foremost astronomical nations owing primarily to the work of the dynamic Radio Astronomy Group within the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation’s Division of Radiophysics. Most of the observations were made at the network of field stations maintained by the Division in or near Sydney, and one of the most notable of these was located at Potts Hill, the site of Sydney’s major water-distribution reservoirs.

Paul Wild and His Investigation of the H-Line

Paul Wild is best remembered for the major contributions he made to solar radio astronomy. Less well known is his contribution to the Australian work on the 1,420 MHz hydrogen emission line. This short communication draws attention to this work, in the context of the early research on the H-line carried out by staff from the C.S.I.R.O.’s Division of Radiophysics.

An Overview of W.N. Christiansen’s Contribution to Australian Radio Astronomy, 1948–1960

In 1948, an accomplished industrial physicist who had harboured a long-term ambition to become an astronomer joined the newly-formed Radio Astronomy Group in the CSIR’s Division of Radiophysics in Sydney, Australia. Thus, W.N. (‘Chris’) Christiansen (1913–2007) began a new career in the fledgling field of radio astronomy. This paper reviews Christiansen’s contribution to both instrumentation development and scientific research during the first phase of his career in radio astronomy, covering his work at the Potts Hill and Fleurs field stations prior to his resignation from the Division of Radiophysics in 1960.

A Retrospective View of Australian Solar Radio Astronomy 1945–1960

The Solar Radio Astronomy Group within the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation’s Division of Radiophysics established an international reputation for solar research by the early 1960s. This paper examines some of the reasons for this success under four main headings: (1) Serendipity and timing; (2) Innovative design; (3) Support and funding; (4) Early outstanding scientific results. The achievements are compared chronologically with other significant contributions from elsewhere.