Marsfield observatory

Marsfield observatory refers to the Sydney suburb of Marsfield, New South Wales, Australia - headquarters to some of the country's leading radio-astronomy institutions.

About Marsfield observatory

Marsfield sits about 16 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, and hosts the headquarters of the Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF), part of Australia's national science agency CSIRO. The site is also home to the Radiophysics Laboratory (RPL), CSIRO's Sydney headquarters for radio-astronomy research, and headquarters for the Anglo-Australian Observatory.

History

The current Radiophysics Laboratory building at Marsfield opened in 1968, after the laboratory relocated from the University of Sydney.

Telescopes & research

Rather than housing a single telescope dome, Marsfield functions as the operational and research headquarters for ATNF, which coordinates Australia's national radio-astronomy infrastructure. It is a working hub for scientists and engineers rather than a public observing dome.

Location & getting there

Marsfield is in the North Shore area of Sydney, New South Wales, in Australia's Oceania region. Use the map on this page for exact coordinates and directions from the city.

Visiting Marsfield observatory

As a research and administrative site rather than a public observing venue, check the CSIRO or ATNF official website for any open days or visitor arrangements before planning a trip.

See your named star from here

Marsfield's radio astronomers work with coordinates in the sky every day, in much the same spirit as a Star Register certificate: the right ascension and declination assigned to your named star mark one real, fixed point that can be found from Sydney or anywhere else on Earth. Name a star or explore the star catalogue to find yours.