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Sir Thomas Brisbane has been called "the founder of organised science in Australia".
When he arrived as Governor of the New South Wales colony in 1821, he set up an astronomical observatory at Parramatta and with two assistants, conducted observations which resulted in the "Brisbane Catalogue of Stars". This listed 7385 stars in the largely uncharted southern sky. A copy is on display at the Brisbane Planetarium.
After he returned to England in 1824, the observatory attracted little official support and eventually closed in 1847. During his short stay in Australia, Governor Brisbane was responsible for significant discoveries in the skies of the southern hemisphere, a contribution honoured by the Planetarium which bears his name and a crater on the moon.
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The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.
Eden Phillpotts |
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