Astronomy in New Zealand

University of Canterbury and the
Mount John University Observatory

Mt John University Observatory (MJUO) is the centre of astronomical research and training in New Zealand. It has been an important focus for the design and construction of astronomical instruments, notably the 1-metre McLellan telescope and the high resolution echelle spectrograph HERCULES, both initiated by John Hearnshaw.

In spite of its modest size, MJUO´s southerly location, clear dark skies, high-tech resources and excellent technical and academic staff have enabled it to make a valuable contribution to astronomy, particularly in the fields of stellar spectroscopy and photometry, Minor Planet discovery and tracking, and recently, microlensing observations.

Phil Yock (Auckland University) and Ian Bond (Massey University) lead the NZ contingent of an international collaboration for the MOA (Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics) project which uses the world´s largest dedicated microlensing telescope, the 1.8m "MOATEL" located at MJUO. This widefield survey telescope, funded by Nagoya University, operates with a large CCD camera capable of imaging millions of stars in a single night and uses the microlensing technique to search for dark matter and extra-solar planets.

Through its participation in the 11m South African Large Telescope (SALT) consortium, Canterbury staff and students have access to 4% of the observing time on the world´s largest telescope. Canterbury´s shareholding includes an "in-kind" component, the design of a large high-resolution spectrograph for SALT (SALT-HRS). This project is led by Peter Cottrell. SALT-HRS is being built by The University of Durham´s Center for Advanced Instrumentation. The build project is led by Ray Sharples (UK); the project scientist is Sean Ryan - an astronomer with a New Zealand connection.

Alan Gilmore and Pam Kilmartin have been at MJUO since 1980 and have played a lead role in the discovery and tracking of Minor Planets.

Research Areas

• University of Canterbury and the Mount John Observatory 
• Radio Astronomy 
• The Planet Finders 
• Astrophysics 
• Cosmic Rays