Most of the recent advances in X-ray astronomy have resulted from satellite observations in the low energy (< 20 keV) range. The Einstein X-ray Observatory in particular has been responsible for a dramatic increase in our knowledge of the X-ray sky, in that all major classes of astronomical objects have been detected.

Most plates taken with the UK Schmidt Telescope are hypersensitized before use. The technique for the hyper-sensitization of IIIa-type emulsions has been described by Sim et al. (1976), and for the IV-N emulsion by Hartley and Tritton (1979). Photographic calibration is provided by two sensitometers, a seven-step linear array at the N-W corner and a 4 × 4 spot array in the S-E. During the calibration of this latter sensitometer (Dawe and Metcalfe 1981), which is a copy of a design by Schoening (1976), it became apparent that the sensitivity of the hypersensitized IIIa-emulsions in use was decreasing as a function of time in the plateholder.

The U.K. 1.2 metre Schmidt Telescope acquired its first full aperture objective prism in 1975. This was a very low dispersion prism (2400 Å/mm at 4300 Å) which has been found to be particularly useful in searching for faint QSO’s.

Despite its superb optical and radio observatories, Australia is essentially blind to the entire submillimeter and far-infrared spectrum. The importance of this spectral region can perhaps best be illustrated by reference to Figure 1, which shows the flux of the galaxy NGC253 as a function of frequency.

Work on the development and use of optical fibres as light guides in astronomical spectroscopy has been underway at the AAO for over a year now. The fibres used are step-index polymer-clad silica with a core size of 200 microns giving an aperture size of 1.3 arcsec at the AAT f/8 focus. They are optimised for data transmission with losses below 5dB/km at a wavelength of 800 nm. The blue transmission is somewhat lower, typically 500dB/km at 300nm and 90dB/km at 400nm but over the short 2m length used these attenuations give transmissions of 79% and 96% respectively.

Observations of non-variable sources of astronomical interest can be ideally undertaken at national radio astronomy observatories whenever possible. By contrast observations of variable sources at sporadic intervals of time, taken at the same observatories, can provide the interest/impetus to observe these sources as often as possible. Since national observatories are overloaded with requests for observations of diverse nature, observations of variable sources cannot be undertaken at these observatories on a daily basis. In consequence dedicated telescopes are required for the continuous monitoring of variable sources.

MM-(millimetre) wave astronomy offers over one hundred gigahertz of explorable spectrum within which the transitions of a large number of important molecules occur. Some of these molecules are as simple as carbon monoxide while others are as complex as trans-ethyl alcohol and methylamine; the former species are widely distributed in the Galaxy while the latter species are more localized in extent.

For more than half a century the theory that the universe is expanding has dominated cosmology. All current cosmological theories, from the various Big Bang models to the various Steady State models, explicitly assume an expanding universe. The evidence in favour of an expanding universe is purely circumstantial, and is based on a “sheer assumption”, (Hubble 1936a) that red-shifts in the light received by an observer on Earth from distant objects are caused by relative motion and hence may be interpreted as Doppler shifts. Hubble (1936b) continues: “…the ever expanding model … seems rather dubious”, and “On the other hand, if the recession factor is dropped, if red-shifts are not primarily velocity-shifts, the picture is simple and plausible. There is no evidence of expansion and no restriction of time-scale, no trace of spatial curvature and no limitations of spatial dimensions.” (Hubble 1936c). These statements are as true today as they were in 1936.