Astronomy at Large

You might have heard that the Australian Government has recently appointed its first Astronomer-at-Large. You may also be wondering what an Astronomer-at-Large does? The answer ranges from exploring the antennas of the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder to the exploitation of European Southern Observatory facilities in Chile – with a dash of the Australian Space Agency in between. And that’s just the start. Don’t miss this entertaining and fully illustrated account by the Astronomer-at-Large himself.

Professor Fred Watson

Professor Fred Watson is the former Astronomer-in-Charge of the Australian Astronomical Observatory. Before that, he worked at both the UK’s Royal Observatories. Today, he is Australia’s first Astronomer-at-Large, and holds adjunct positions at several Australian universities. Fred is best known for his radio and TV broadcasts, talks, and other outreach programs, which earned him the 2006 Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science. He has also written a number of award-winning books, and was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2010. Fred is proud and honoured to be SASI’s Patron.