How Australian Astronomers Cooked Up a High-Fibre Diet

This presentation was delivered at the first HAAC seminar, 19 November 2025.

Link to the 16 minute YouTube recording: https://youtu.be/6wo1dsWtXg0 

Speaker: Fred Watson AM, honorary professor of astronomy advocacy and engagement at Macquarie University.

Abstract: Following the development of low-loss optical fibres by Corning in 1970, it was Roger Angel of the University of Arizona who first highlighted their astronomical possibilities and developed experimental multiobject spectroscopy systems for the Steward Observatory. In Australia, David Carter (Anglo-Australian Observatory) and Richard Ellis (Durham) quickly recognised the technique’s enormous potential for the 3.9metre Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT). Under the engineering leadership of Peter Gray, a series of successful multi-fibre systems was introduced from 1981, evolving by the mid-1990s into the robotic 2dF (2-degree field) system. By 2005, 2dF had completed the ground-breaking 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey and remains the flagship multi-object instrument on the AAT today. In parallel with these developments, wide-field multi-fibre systems were introduced on the neighbouring 1.2-metre UK Schmidt Telescope by the author, culminating in 6dF (6degree field, 2001), which yielded an enduring legacy with the 6dF Galaxy Survey (6dFGS) and Radial Velocity Survey of half a million stars (RAVE). A subsequent development on the Schmidt was the innovative technology demonstrator TAIPAN (2020), while an investigation into the possibilities of waveguide devices by the author in 1995 helped to pave the way for the science of astrophotonics in which several Australian universities are today world-class players.  

Bio: Fred Watson AM is an honorary professor of astronomy advocacy and engagement at Macquarie University. From 2018 to 2024, he was the Australian Government’s first Astronomer-at-Large, having served for the previous 20 years as the Astronomer-in-Charge of the former AAO. He led several projects in advanced astronomical instrumentation and spectroscopic surveys and today is actively involved in both the history and future of Australian astronomy.