Post #1613615
2026-04-12 23:41 UTC
Replies (2)
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@spacelizard@aus.social 2026-04-14 04:42
Some context to help understand the depth of frustration here. The Australian astronomical community has been trying to get Australian governments to commit to a long term arrangement for access to large optical/infrared telescopes for as long as 8 metre class telescopes have existed. 30 years ago the Astronomy Decadal Plan 1996-2005 was published, and stated "The first priority of the astronomical community remains the same as it was in 1989, viz. to obtain significant access to a large optical/infrared telescope. To achieve this end the Review Committee believes that Australia should immediately accept the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) invitation to join ESO..." Instead what followed were a series of temporary and ad-hoc arrangements supported by one-off funding from various sources, which enabled Australian astronomer to buy some telescope time from, for example, the Gemini and Magellan observatories. Governments repeatedly balked at anything involving more a few years of commitment until 2017, when we finally got the 10 year Strategic Partnership with ESO: https://www.eso.org/public/about-eso/strategicpartners/australianinvolvement/ Now the government has announced that they will not convert the Strategic Partnership to full membership of ESO, and have not committed any funding for alternative arrangements either. Australian astronomers feel like after decades of making their case they are right back to square one, in exactly the same situation as they were in in the early 1990's. #Astrodon #Astronomy
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@adavid@aus.social 2026-04-13 13:36
@spacelizard Australian govts babble on about STEM, but they have no idea about encouraging it.