"The Future of Australian Optical Astronomy", Professor Matthew Colless

For at least the last 30 years Australia has been at the front rank of optical astronomy. This was based initially on the success of the 4-metre Anglo-Australian Telescope, and more recently on Australia's share in the two Gemini 8-metre telescopes. In 2005, Australian astronomers launched a Decadal Plan that saw the need for Australia to develop new optical telescopes in order to stay at the forefront of the field. As well as calling for an extended scientific lifetime for the AAT and increased Australian access to 8-metre class telescopes, the plan highlighted two priority options for the future: the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), a 25-metre telescope that is proposed to be built in Chile by a US-Australian consortium, and the PILOT telescope, a 2-metre optical-infrared telescope that is proposed to be built at Dome C in Antarctica. I will discuss the development of these facilities in the context of the evolving needs of Australian astronomers for access to optical telescopes in the coming decade.

Matthew Colless is the Director of the Anglo-Australian Observatory. He obtained his BSc at Sydney, his PhD at Cambridge and has held positions at Durham, Kitt Peak, Cambridge and the ANU. Most of his research has involved carrying out ever-larger redshift surveys of galaxies in order to understand their evolution and distribution. The 2dF Galaxy Redshift Survey provided the first precise measurements of the total density of matter in the universe, and also established the relative densities of dark matter, baryons and neutrinos. He is now involved in two new surveys: the 6dF Galaxy Survey to map the motions as well as the positions of galaxies, and the WiggleZ survey to tighten existing constraints on the dark energy. Matthew is Chair of the National Committee for Astronomy and a member of the Giant Magellan Telescope Board. The AAO is currently involved in design studies for both the Giant Magellan Telescope and the PILOT Antarctic telescope.