The President of the Australian Academy of Science, Professor Sir Gustav Nossal, today released a report in which Australian astronomers turn their telescopes on the future of their science.
Astronomy is one of Australia's scientific strengths.
It is also a subject that interests every thinking person. Discoveries at the frontiers of astronomy are often headlines in newspapers within days. The report looks at some immediate questions that need to be answered and also speculates about the direction astronomy will take beyond 2000. The report recommends that Australia join the European Southern Observatory which is constructing the worlds largest optical telescope in Northern Chile. Telecommunication is now so efficient that astronomers can operate telescopes on the other side of the globe.