ASTRONOMY

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 22, 26 January 1924, Page 13

ASTRONOMY

A CIVIC OBSERVATORY.

(ntOH OBK OWS ' COSUSFOSDKST.)

SYDNEY, 17th January. The amateur stargazers have had a bit of. a windfall lately.- Some time | ago, Mr. G. H. Hoskins, of the well- [ known Lithgow firm, gave to the New South Wales branch of the British Astronomical Association a telescope which is now in the grounds of the Technical College, for the use of. amateurs. Then there ,was the gift of £1000 at the association by Mr. Thomas Donovan, a wealthy citizen, arid on top of this comes the presentation by Mr. Ernest Wunderlich, founder of Wunderlich, Ltd., of his private observatory and building to tie association, for the encouragement of amateur astronomers. It is a munificent gift, for it embodies a complete-ly-equipped observatory, as well' as a library of rare astronomical- works. Even the building itself Mr. Wunderlich dismantled at/his own. expense and transported to its new quarters. Mr. Wunderlich, a notable lover of the arts, by the way, and a musical composer of some merit, as well as an archaeologist, thinks it is better to see the fullest use made of his observatory during his lifetime instead of waiting until his executors hand it over after his death. He is hoping others in a like position will take similar action. ;■ His'observatory was at his week-end seaside home, and he used it only occasionally. Now it will be in daily use. The trouble is the association is getting round it such a collection of valuable instruments that it hardly knows what to do with them, for it has no observatory of its own It is highly probable that it will ask the' City' Council for a small part of one of the parks for use as a public observatory. It would require only a small' area, about as big as a bandstand. The council is not kliely to view any such proposition unfavourably, for after all nearly everyone is keen on astronomy, in a popular way, especially when something unusual is taking place in the D6AVAIU.