Fred Watson - Cosmic Chronicles: A users guide to the Universe

COSMICCHRONICLES

FRED WATSON is Astronomer-at-Large with the Australian Government Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, a position created in 2018 to provide high-level astronomy and science outreach support. He is a graduate of the universities of St Andrews and Edinburgh, and worked at both of Britains Royal Observatories before joining the Australian Astronomical Observatory as Astronomer-in-Charge in 1995. Recognised internationally for helping to pioneer the use of fibre optics in astronomy during the 1980s and 90s, Fred is best known today for his radio and TV broadcasts, popular astronomy books, and other outreach ventures, including music and science tourism. Together, they have earned him a succession of awards, including the 2006 Australian Government Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science and the UNSW Press Bragg Prize. Fred is an adjunct professor at UNSW and several other Australian universities, and was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2010. He has an asteroid named after him (5691 Fredwatson), but says that if it hits the Earth, it wont be his fault.

Also by Fred Watson:

Star-Craving Mad: Tales from a travelling astronomer

Stargazer: The life and times of the Telescope

Why Is Uranus Upside Down? And other questions aboutthe Universe

Fred Watsons new book, Cosmic Chronicles: A users guide to the Universe, is a superb romp through the historical, cultural and scientific astronomical phenomena that surround us every day. Fred is a national treasure for his witty and incisive descriptions of science; fun and interesting to all. The book spans medieval astronomers to NASA deep space missions and even includes Goldilocks and The Terminator (revealed as serene and even romantic). Enjoy! Col. Pamela A. Melroy, USAF (ret.), former NASA Astronaut

Despite the complexity of the Universe, you feel as though youve always been part of unravelling its mysteries as you read Fred Watsons entertaining new book. You will explore its history, spot things in the night sky youve never noticed before, and if youre hoping for a wild new travel adventure, youll learn how to go to space without contaminating the cosmos with pesky earthly microbes. Bonus! Amanda Bauer, astronomer and Head of Education and Public Outreach, Large Synoptic Survey Telescope

COSMICCHRONICLES

A USERS GUIDE TO THE UNIVERSE

FRED WATSON

A NewSouth book

Published by

NewSouth Publishing

University of New South Wales Press Ltd

University of New South Wales

Sydney NSW 2052

AUSTRALIA

newsouthpublishing.com

Fred Watson 2019

First published 2019

This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act , no part of this book may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Inquiries should be addressed to the publisher.

ISBN: 9781742236421 (paperback)

9781742244693 (ebook)

9781742249193 (ePDF)

A catalogue record for this book is available from the National Library of Australia

Design Josephine Pajor-Markus

Cover design Peter Long

All reasonable efforts were taken to obtain permission to use copyright material reproduced in this book, but in some cases copyright could not be traced. The author welcomes information in this regard.

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE: ASTRONOMY AT LARGE

T he story begins in darkness, literally: a total eclipse of the Sun. And no ordinary eclipse, either, but the first one ever to be broadcast live on television, documenting the Moons shadow as it progressed through France, Italy and the former Yugoslavia. The BBCs doyen of astronomy communicators, Patrick Moore, was stationed atop snow-covered Mount Jastrebac in what is now Serbia, and provided a live commentary on the progress of the eclipse. Such as it was my recollection is that there was a lot of cloud about. There was plenty for him to talk about, though, including the oxen that had hauled the outside broadcast equipment up to the summit. As predicted, they nodded off to sleep in the darkness of totality. Rather to Patricks chagrin, the producer immediately turned on floodlights to allow viewers to see the dozing animals. Not really what you want in the middle of an eclipse.

Watching all this as a 16-year-old on a black-and-white TV in the cold of a Yorkshire winters morning, sleep was the furthest thing from my mind. There and then, I resolved to become an astronomer. Perhaps it was the live action of scientists using telescopes to probe the secrets of the Suns corona its outer atmosphere, whose mechanisms we still dont fully understand nearly six decades later. Or perhaps it was Patricks skill in telling viewers exactly what was going on, when half the time he couldnt really see anything because of the cloud.

Eight and a half years later, with sixth form and university behind me, another TV programme held me in thrall, this time showing a chap called Neil Armstrong walking on the Moon. By then I was working for a renowned British company that built large telescopes for astronomers including several Id use later in my career. My job at the time was to fabricate the mirrors for a new space telescope that would survey the Universe in ultra-violet radiation. Because the company was truly ancient well over a century old it was accustomed to building telescopes so weighty they were measured in tonnes. That didnt really translate into satellite equipment, and we had all kinds of problems producing the lightweight mirrors required. Nevertheless, my telescope eventually flew aboard a robotic spacecraft with the unglamorous name of TD1A.

OVER THE YEARS, I BUILT UP A STORE OF EXPERIENCE IN many different branches of astronomy and space science, which eventually propelled me into the uncharted realm of management. So, for almost two decades, I was the Astronomer-in-Charge of what was then called the Anglo-Australian Observatory, or AAO a bi-national venture that operated two telescopes at Siding Spring Observatory in north-western New South Wales. One of them, the 3.9-metre Anglo-Australian Telescope, remains the largest optical (visible-light) telescope on Australian soil.

In 2010, however, in a thoroughly polite and terribly British way, the UK pulled out of the deal, leaving the Australian government to run what then became the Australian Astronomical Observatory, or AAO. And eight years later, in a further deal involving a strategic partnership with a major European observatory, the AAO became part of the university sector. The telescopes at Siding Spring would now be operated by the Australian National University and the instrument building division in Sydney rebadged as wait for it Australian Astronomical Optics, or AAO. One thing you can say for the AAO is that it knows how to save money on logos. The same one has sufficed since 1991, and still proudly proclaims the organisations heritage.