Exploring the careers of some of Australia's best-known astronomers, this collection of interviews is a celebration of our curiosity about the universe. Through their own words, 18 leading scientists including Bart Bok, John Bolton, Chris Christiansen, Hanbury Brown, Bernard Mills and Paul Wild among others, reveal their own perceptions of their work at the moving frontiers of astronomy and allow us to glimpse the dedication and commitment that has produced their notable achievements. Their research has yielded new interpretations, discoveries and inventions of international significance, expanding our knowledge of the mysterious universe we live in.

Recommended for ages 10-14 and packed with celestial maps and historical material, this title explains the southern night skies in a fun and interactive way.

The most comprehensive account of Australian astronomy to date.

The First Astronomers is the first book to reveal the rich knowledge of the stars and the planets held by First Peoples around the world. Our eyes have been drawn away from the skies to our screens. We no longer look to the stars to forecast the weather, predict the seasons or plant our gardens. Most of us cannot even see the Milky Way. But First Nations Elders around the world still maintain this knowledge, and there is much we can learn from them. These Elders are expert observers of the stars. They teach that everything on the land is reflected in the sky, and everything in the sky is reflected on the land. How does this work, and how can we better understand our place in the universe? Guided by six First Nations Elders, Duane Hamacher takes us on a journey across space and time to reveal the wisdom of the first astronomers. These living systems of knowledge challenge conventional ideas about the nature of science and the longevity of oral tradition. Indigenous science is dynamic, adapting to changes in the skies and on Earth, pointing the way for a world facing the profound disruptions of climate change. 'This book marks a profound paradigm shift in our understanding of Indigenous scientific traditions, how they are transmitted, and their relevance to life today.' - Professor Marcia Langton, University of Melbourne 'A ground-breaking book of enormous scope.' - Brian Schmidt, Nobel Laureate in Physics 'A glimpse into Indigenous ways of reading landscapes reflected in the night sky through ancient processes of inquiry.' - Dr Tyson Yunkaporta, author of Sand Talk 'A wonderful combination of scholarship and poetry.' - Dr Annette S. Lee, Lakota astrophysicist 'Beautiful, engaging, and startlingly profound.' - Alan Duffy, Professor of Astrophysics

The evolution of Australian radio astronomy from 1945 to 1960 has been studied in detail by numerous historians of science in recent years. This Open Access book is the first to present an overview of this remarkable chapter in Australian science. The book begins in the post-war period, as the Radiophysics Laboratory in Sydney switched from secret wartime research on radar to peacetime applications of this new technology. Next follows the detection of radio waves from space and the ensuing transformation of this fledgling science into the dominant research program at the Radiophysics Lab. Drawing from this history, the book shows how by 1960 the Radiophysics Lab had become the largest and most successful radio astronomy group in the world. The final chapter presents an overview of Australian radio astronomy from 1960 to the present day, as Australia prepares to co-host the multi-national, multi-billion-dollar Square Kilometre Array. Nearly 300 high-quality images complement the text, drawn from a wide range of sources including the extensive collection held by the CSIRO Radio Astronomy Image Archive. The book will be an essential reference for readers interested in the scientific and cultural development of radio astronomy. This book is published open access under a CC BY 4.0 license.

This book tells the story of the Mt Stromlo Observatory in Canberra which began with W.G. Duffield's idealism and vision in 1905. The Observatory began life as a government department, later becoming an optical munitions factory producing gun sights and telescopes during the Second World War, before changing its focus to astrophysics – the new astronomy. In the ensuing years programs were introduced to push the Observatory in new directions at the international frontiers of astronomy. The astronomers built new, better and larger telescopes to unravel the secrets of the universe. There were controversies, exciting new discoveries and new explanations of phenomena that had been discovered. The Observatory and its researchers have contributed to determining how old the universe is, participated in the largest survey of galaxies in the universe, and helped to show us that the universal expansion is accelerating – research that led to Brian Schmidt and his international team being awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics. These and other major discoveries are detailed in this fascinating book about one of the great observatories in the world.

The art and traditions of Aboriginal Australia draw on 40,000 years experience of gazing into the richness of unpolluted skies from pristine lands. They include the "emu in the sky" constellation of dark clouds, and stories about the Sun, Moon, and the Seven Sisters. Several Aboriginal groups use the rising and setting of particular stars to show when to harvest a food source. Some explain how the tides are caused by the Moon, and even explain eclipses as a conjunction of the Sun and Moon. This book explores the mystical Aboriginal astronomical stories and traditions, and the way in which they are used for practical applications such as navigation and harvesting. It describes the journey of exploration that's currently opening Western eyes to this treasury of ancient Aboriginal knowledge, and is written by two active researchers in the field: Prof. Ray Norris (an astrophysicist with CSIRO, and an Adjunct Professor at the Dept. of Indigenous Studies, Macquarie University), and his wife Cilla. In this book, Ray and Cilla bring you the results of their 6-year quest to research Aboriginal Astronomy, including: * uncovering little-known manuscripts, * visiting Aboriginal sites throughout Australia, * writing down stories from ancient communities. Few outsiders understand the depth and complexity of Aboriginal cultures. This book will give you a glimpse that will change your ideas about Aboriginal society.