What is Melbourne Observatory?
[[File:Melbourne Observatory Building & Astrograph House.jpg|thumb|Melbourne Observatory Building and Astrograph House]] The '''Melbourne Observatory''', in [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria, Australia]], was built in 1861.<ref name=bh>{{cite document |last= |first= |authorlink= |title=Melbourne Observatory: A brief history |version= |publisher=Royal Melbourne Botanical Gardens |date= |url=http://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/rbg-melbourne/landscape-features/melbourne-observatory |format=Word doc |id= |accessdate=October 8, 2011 |journal= |archive-date=November 1, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111101221529/http://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/rbg-melbourne/landscape-features/melbourne-observatory |url-status=dead }}</ref> It replaced an earlier [[observatory]] at [[Williamstown, Victoria|Williamstown]]. The Melbourne Observatory is now part of Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens. The observatory had an important role as it used observations of the stars to keep accurate time.<ref name=bh/> It also kept the weather records and scientists were able to make weather predictions. In 1869, the observatory installed the Great Melbourne Telescope (48 inch) which at that time was the largest steerable [[telescope]] in world.<ref name=bh/> There were problems with its size and image accuracy and by 1890, it was no longer used. As Melbourne increased in size the light from the city limited the use of the observatory for serious astronomy. The Great Melbourne Telescope was sold to the [[Mount Stromlo Observatory]] in [[Canberra]] in 1944.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://greatmelbournetelescope.org.au/ |title=Great Melbourne Telescope |first= |last=|work=greatmelbournetelescope.org.au |year=2011 |accessdate=8 October 2011}}</ref> It was destroyed in a [[bushfire]] in 2003, but there are plans to rebuild it and set it up as a display at the Melbourne Observatory. The Melbourne Observatory is no longer used, but the historic equipment is kept in working condition by the Astronomical Society of Victoria.<ref name=bh/> This is an amateur group o