AAOptics

This is very exciting news for @AAOorg, @AAOMacquarie and the future of optical instrumentation in Australia. Mark Casali has been a distinguished leader @eso, one of our most important partners, for many years. Really looking forward to having you on the team Mark!

We stand by our choices.

Stick around #astrotweeps. In coming days we will be profiling activity at our Stromlo and USydney nodes, introducing members of the team, and sharing details about the two hugely exciting projects we've just been awarded. Welcome aboard!

We have in place a rigorous oversight structure. Here's our @AAOorg Board member @eso's Prof. Markus Kissler-Patig posing with the new signage, barely one hour old.

We also met the #StarBugs at the heart of the #TAIPAN instrument being built at @AAOMacquarie for the #UKSchmidt telescope at #SidingSpringObservatory. There they are peering ominously over JA's shoulder.

Before the formalities our visitors toured some of the labs at @AAOMacquarie, meeting the #AESOP positioned for the @ESO #4MOST instrument and the #PRAXIS infra-red spectrograph incorporating optical fibre Bragg filter technology conceived and developed by the #AAOUSydney group.

It was great to have many of our distinguished #astronomy colleagues and @AAOorg staff present including from @UNSWScience and #CASS @CSIROnews.

Guests included the #DeptIndustry team who worked incredibly hard for two years to make possible all the elements of this initiative: @AAOorg, the @ESO partnership, and the new AAT arrangements at #SidingSpringObservatory. @glockogirl @magneticlemur

Proceedings were MCed by national living treasure and Australia's Astronomer-at-large @StargazerFred who also supervised JA's cutting of the magnificent cake.

After 18 months work, today we were delighted to welcome Member for Bennelong The Hon. Mr John Alexander to our @AAOMacquarie facility to officially launch the consortium.

Delivering all that, we'll help to make the case for Australia to become a permanent member of @ESO a decade from now, hopefully bringing access to @almaobs and the #ExtremelyLargeTelescope.

We aim to grow the @AAOorg brand as a global leader in instrumentation, bring scores of observing nights on these instruments to Australian astronomers, and translate innovations from optical astronomy to communications, environmental sensing, medicine and other fields.

. @AAOorg was established on 1 July 2018 to found a new era in optical astronomical instrumentation for Australia. Together @AAOMacquarie, #AAO-Stromlo @scienceANU and #AAO-USydney @Sydney_Science will build breakthrough instruments for the world's leading 8m and 30m telescopes.

Welcome to @AAOorg, the feed for the Australian Astronomical Optics consortium. Our official opening is tomorrow at @AAOMacquarie with Member for Bennelong Mr John Alexander. Stay tuned to learn who we are and what we are about.