Siding Spring Observatory Update

Published in the RSAA Lunations
Vol1 Issue61 1–30 April 2025

Bye-bye ROTSE
The ROTSE telescope has been a familiar sight to those who are familiar with the area around the old Uppsala dome. The ROTSE experiment consisted of four telescopes located in Australia, Namibia, Turkey, and at the McDonald Observatory near Fort Davis, Texas. The project was a collaboration between astrophysicists from the University of Michigan, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the University of New South Wales (Australia), and the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics (Germany).

The primary goal of the ROTSE project was to detect the optical light of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Operated by the University of New South Wales (UNSW), the 0.45m, 3rd-generation robotic telescope at Siding Spring Observatory successfully detected the transient optical emission from several GRB events. 

The telescope at SSO was damaged by the Wambelong fire in 2013 and has not been used since.  After sitting dormant for over a decade, the ANU gifted the telescope to the Tamworth Regional Astronomical Club. ROTSE will join the Uppsala Schmidt and UNSW APT that were once also located at SSO.

SSO Service Awards
Every six months, the SSO Director receives nominations for the SSO Service Awards, which acknowledge outstanding contributions staff and others make to SSO. It is with great pleasure that I announce that Ian Adams and Nadim (Ned) El-Saleh have been awarded an SSO Service Award after receiving glowing nominations.

Ian is recognised for his many years of dedication, versatility, and proficiency in supporting the all the facilities at SSO.

Ned is recognised for his tireless efforts and for bringing heart and goodwill to everyone he works with.

Congratulations to both Ian and Ned for their well deserved awards.

Chris Lidman, on behalf of the staff at SSO

Figure 1. An image of ROTSE being lifted onto the back of a truck on its way to the Tamworth Regional Astronomical Club. Photo credit: GOTO South