A plan is being launched that will catapult Australia into the front of International Astronomy for the next five years. It is called The Mid Term Review of the Australian Astronomy Decadal Plan 2006-2015 which was laboriously compiled by the Australian Academy of Science’s National Committee for Astronomy.
In summary, this plan is calling for two specific actions: First is for the establishment of a central international astronomical data bank that will link highly advanced resources located all over the globe and second is for the maintainance of a radio-quiet zone in the Western area of the country.
According to Australian Academy of Science’s Committee Chair and Fellow Professor Elaine Sadler, the plan will put into motion measures that will firmly establish Australia as the forerunner of Astronomy in the global sense.
To qoute, “If Australia is to have a chance at attracting the Square Kilometre Array – the most powerful radio telescope in the world – it is essential that we preserve a radio quiet environment in regions of Western Australia.”
Moreover, The plan, as illustrated in The Review, advises Australia to secure sustainable access to an 8-metre optical telescope which Professor Sadler claims is the the foundation of a huge part of recent discoveries in astronomy. She also adds that “Failure to retain this crucial part of our astronomical portfolio significantly undermines our other astronomical investments.” Professor Sadler proposes that Australia generate a data fabric for international data on astronomy which would consequently open doors for opportunities of discovering local researchers vital to the success of the plan.
The following are the notable achievements that Australian astronomy has obtained in the last five years as outlined by The Review:
• Australia’s world-famous and undoubted leaders of astronomy have won exemplary international and national awards such as the Pawsley Medals, the Shaw Prize, Malcolm McIntosh Prize, the Gruber Prize and the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science
• The CSIRO Australia Telescope has had improvements in terms of its sensitivity and has undergone significant upgrades
• Ground breaking infrastructure for astronomy has been established in WA
• In Chile, Australia has acquired partneship in the building of an Extremely Large Telescope
