astronomicalsocietyofqueensland

Fascinating staff.

"For it is true that astronomy, from a popular standpoint, is handicapped by the inability of the average workman to own an expensive astronomical telescope. It is also true that if an amateur starts out to build a telescope just for fun he will find, before his labors are over, that he has become seriously interested in the wonderful mechanism of our universe. And finally, there is understandably the stimulus of being able to unlock the mysteries of the heavens by a tool fashioned by one's own hand." Russell W. Porter Founder of Stellafane, March 1923 Source: stellafane.org/tm/atm/index.html

Before the events that would spawn the original AAQ in 1969, the Astronomical Society of Queensland (ASQ) was the only major Queensland astronomical body in Queensland, having existed since 1927. Following the advent of the space age in late 1957, the membership of the ASQ had been growing quite rapidly with a burgeoning public interest in all things space-related. Included on the periphery of these new members were the dreamy and disconnected ‘flying saucer set’ who was the subject of some quiet amusement for some of the younger members such as my friend Peter Smith and myself. The political affiliations of these new members must have raised some concerns because several years later the long-time Secretary Bill Newell told me confidentially that one of our new members was an ASIO agent checking us out! He built a fine 6-inch telescope at night classes (which can be seen in the 1961 TV photo with Bill Newell), but dropped out after a few years. Source: www.aaq.org.au/asq-18-telescope-project-and-the-bundaberg...

What more could you ask for? Mysteries of the Universe