ANU Siding Spring Observatory: A Catalogue of Sky Positions for the WiFES Instrument
Gain an understanding of the work performed at a major astronomical observatory while creating a catalogue of sky positions.
Student opportunity type
Degree level
About
Siding Spring Observatory is Australia’s largest ground-based optical astronomical observatory. It is home to the 3.9-metre Anglo-Australian Telescope, the ANU 2.3-metre telescope, SkyMapper and over a dozen other facilities run by national and international organisations. The telescopes at the Observatory are maintained by a staff of about 20 technicians.
The Observatory is located on the edge of the Warrumbungle National Park in northern NSW about 25 km west of the town of Coonabarabran. It is about a seven-hour drive from Canberra.
Project: A Catalogue of Sky Positions for the WiFES Instrument
| Internship details | |
| Internship Availability | Summer, 2025 (27 Jan – 14 Feb) |
| Internship Discipline/s | Astronomy |
| Internship Level | 3rd year Undergraduate and Postgraduate Coursework only |
| Available to International Students | Yes |
| Preferred Project Skills: | Python programming experience |
| Clearances Required | No |
| Host Supervisor | A/Professor Chris Lidman, Director SSO E: Christopher.Lidman@anu.edu.au T: X50238 |
| Location | Siding Spring Observatory (please note that students will have to organise and pay for their own accommodation and expenses) |
| Project Opportunities/Benefits for the Intern |
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Summary:
In early 2025, we are offering two internships in the field of astronomy at Siding Spring Observatory.
For three weeks, the interns will participate in the daily morning meetings of a major astronomical observatory while conducting the project. By attending the meetings, they will gain an appreciation of the work that is done by staff to make the telescopes at SSO ready for a night’s observing.
There is one project on offer - 'A catalogue of sky positions for WiFES on the ANU 2.3-metre telescope'. Two interns will be assigned to the project. The aim of the project is to create a catalogue of sky positions to be used by the SSO Alert System when generating observing requests.