Shenton Park observatory

Shenton Park observatory is an astronomical observatory in Perth, Western Australia, known for its automated hunt for supernovae and minor planets in the 2000s.

About Shenton Park observatory

Shenton Park observatory began life equipped with a computerised 10-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. In late 2003 the Sirius observatory structure was installed to permanently house its equipment, allowing the facility to run largely unattended overnight. It now operates primarily as a spectroscopic instrument.

History

The observatory was established in 2001 in Perth, Western Australia. From 2005 to 2008 it hosted Tenagra Western Australia, an automated collaboration searching for supernovae and minor planets, which discovered 11 supernovae along with multiple minor planet recoveries during that period.

Telescopes & research

The observatory's complete automation, enabled by the Sirius housing installed in 2003, allowed unattended nighttime operation and made it a working model for the SPIRIT initiative at the University of Western Australia. Today it is used mainly for spectroscopic work rather than the supernova and minor-planet surveys of its earlier years.

Location & getting there

Shenton Park observatory is located in Perth, Western Australia, in the Oceania region. Perth's relatively dry climate and clear skies have long made the area attractive to amateur and research astronomers alike.

Visiting Shenton Park observatory

We don't have confirmed public opening hours for this site. Given its history as an automated research instrument, check with local astronomy groups or the University of Western Australia before planning a visit.

See your named star from here

An instrument capable of tracking down supernovae and minor planets is more than capable of locating the coordinates of a named star. Name a star and look up its position in the catalogue.