Zadko Observatory

Zadko Observatory is an astronomical observatory (obs. code: D20) located within the Wallingup Plain in the Gingin shire, Western Australia. It is owned and operated by the University of Western Australia.

Zadko Observatory

Organization	University of Western Australia
Observatory code	D20
Location	Gingin, Western Australia, Shire of Gingin, Australia
Coordinates	31°21′31.4″S 115°42′47.2″E
Altitude	50 m (160 ft)
Website	www.zadko-observatory.org
Telescopes
Zadko Telescope 1.0 m reflector C14 reflector
Location of Zadko Observatory

History

The Zadko Observatory was created in 2008 to host the Zadko Telescope,^[1] a 1.0m instrument donated to the University of Western Australia by James Zadko,^[2] CEO of Claire Energy.^[3] It was then expanded to fit several other instruments in 2011. The Observatory is located close to the Australian Interferometer Gravitational Observatory. The original construction cost AUD 1 million.^[4]

Observations are performed robotically every night, and have led to various important results, such as the observation of the first detected counterpart of a gravitational wave source, GW170817.^[5][6]

Instruments

The observatory operates one robotic 1.0-metre Cassegrain telescope for scientific studies. In addition, the observatory hosts several instruments operated by private companies.

See also

• List of astronomical observatories