Objects of Substance- Dorothy Hill Observatory

November 2017 the Dorothy Hill Observatory time capsule ready to be buried by Head Girls Lucinda Duke and Elizabeth Prins at the Year 12 end-of-year “sleepover”.

The observatory is a 7 x 3.5 metre structure with a roll-off roof. It houses a space for computer equipment and four telescopes. One is operated by students visiting Marrapatta, and the other three telescopes are controlled remotely. March 2018 saw the first use by students. Currently, each student in Science from Year 7 to Year 9 and Physics in Year 10 engages in a structured astronomy program. Ms Gerri Bernard, teacher of Physics, is responsible for the implementation of the learning experiences. Year 7 students select a deep sky object (nebula, galaxy, open cluster, or globular cluster) for their introduction. In Year 8, one term in the school curriculum encompasses Astronomy. The students learn about the different types of telescopes, CCD operation, the nature of colour, understanding filters, and different ways to process images, depending on what they want to show. Each grade uses different telescopes, each named after famous female astronomers. The western telescope, the only non-robotic one in the observatory, is a 203.2 mm Celestron named Bell for Jocelyn Bell (1943-). A 106 mm Takahashi refractor with a 6 megapixel colour CCD (charge coupled device) is one of two telescopes on the eastern pier. It is called Fleming after Williamina (Mina) Fleming (1857- 1911). The 356 mm Planewave, in the centre of the observatory, with an attached 16 megapixels camera has the appellation Cannon for Annie Cannon (1863-1941). This telescope has a rotating wheel attached to the camera with ten slots for filters. It is used by Year 8 students. The same telescope is operated in Year 9 with different filters for more advanced work. The second telescope on the eastern pier is a 100 mm Skywatcher refractor, 1.5 megapixel colour CCD for near-real time imaging in low resolution. It is called Maury [pronounced MORE-ee ] for Antonia Maury (1866-1952).