Item MM 30481 Photograph - Oddie Telescope Erected at Melbourne Observatory, circa 1911

Summary

Refractor telescope by Grubb, Dublin, 9 inch, erected in the grounds of Melbourne Observatory, 1910 or 1911. The telescope was donated in 1910 by James Oddie of Ballarat, to the Commonwealth Government, for the establishment of the Commonwealth Solar Observatory.

Melbourne Observatory astronomers Pietro Baracchi and James Baldwin tested the telescope at Melbourne Observatory prior to its installation at Mount Stromlo in 1911. Baracchi and Baldwin then used the telescope at Mount Stromlo from September 1911 to September 1912, to test the suitability of the site for the establishment of a permanent observatory.

Description of Content

Telescope erected in grounds of Melbourne Observatory, 1910 or 1911. The telescope is the 9 inch refractor by Grubb, Dublin, donated by James Oddie to the Commonwealth Government in 1910 for the establishment of a Commonwealth Solar Observatory. East Transit Room of Melbourne Observatory visible in background.