Here’s Just How Close Fire Came To Claiming Australia’s Greatest Observatory


The clean-up has well and truly begun at Siding Springs Observatory which last month survived one of the fiercest bushfire seasons by the skin of its teeth. Three ancillary buildings were lost in the blaze but the brave tale of how fire service men and women and how they saved the greatest astronomy telescopes in the country is one you need to read. Clean-up crews have taken some photos of the site, and it’s incredible to see how close the facility came to its almost certain doom at the hand of vicious fire.

More: How The Fire Fight For Australia’s Greatest Observatory Was Won

ABC Radio went to the top of the Anglo-Australian Telescope’s dome to overlook the valley and the destruction brought on by the bushfire, and when you look at it you finally start to realise just how lucky the Siding Springs Observatory really was to survive the burn with its priceless equipment intact.


[clear]



[clear]



[clear]



[clear]


[ABC]

Images: Lawrence Champness/ABC


The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans

It’s the most popular NBN speed in Australia for a reason. Here are the cheapest plans available.

At Gizmodo, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.