Australian Huntsman Telescope could unlock secrets of our galaxy

A powerful new Australian telescope, designed and named after a spider, could unlock even more mysteries of our galaxy.

A powerful space telescope named after a spider has been unveiled at Australia’s largest observatory in a development astronomers say could shed light on how galaxies are formed and what happens when they collide.

Opened just a week after deep space images from NASA’s James Webb telescope captured worldwide attention, Macquarie University researchers say the design of the Huntsman Telescope — using 10 lenses as eyes — also had the potential to fascinate stargazers and unlock mysteries about hidden exoplanets and mysterious “fast radio bursts”.

Macquarie University PhD candidate Sarah Caddy works on the Huntsman Telescope in Siding Spring Observatory, NSW.

The Huntsman Telescope is the newest addition to 60 telescopes established at Siding Spring Observatory in Coonabarabran, in regional New South Wales, including some from overseas operators.

But Macquarie PhD candidate Sarah Caddy said this model, developed at the site over eight years, had the potential to unlock mysteries that had long plagued astronomers.

The new telescope featured 10 Canon lenses normally seen on DSLR cameras, she said, and used all 10 at once to identify “ultra faint” galaxies and astronomical objects.

“The reason we’re looking for faint things is to try to understand how our universe evolved,” Ms Caddy said.

“What happens when two galaxies collide is that you end up getting a whole heap of debris and gas and stars stripped away from the galaxy itself and that structure is really faint.

“What we want to do is look at the edges these galaxies at these remnants of these really faint structures to try to piece together how galaxies collided.”

The Huntsman Telescope opened in July 2022 in Siding Spring Observatory, NSW.

Any discoveries could help explain what might happen when the Milky Way collides with the Andromeda galaxy, in an event expected in 4.5 billion years.

The Huntsman Telescope will also be used to identify exoplanets — a planet beyond our solar system that orbits a star — and to look for evidence of what happens during a “fast radio burst” — a mystery that continues to challenge scientists.

“There’s a co-ordinated effort from people all over Australia and all over the world trying to solve this,” Ms Caddy said.

“If we do see one it would be something that would probably generate Nobel prizes, that’s the level of mystery at the moment. We have no idea what these things are.”

Australia's astronomer-at-large Professor Fred Watson with the Huntsman Telescope in Siding Spring Observatory, NSW.

Australian Astronomer-at-Large Professor Fred Watson, who ran the largest telescope at Siding Spring Observatory for 20 years, said the new addition would bring fresh attention to the Australian industry.

“What delights me is when I see new telescopes being built on this site. It supports the astronomy community here,” he said.

“It’s an international business … and it’s about making people aware there’s a place here that will welcome you and your telescope for Southern Hemisphere observation and you’ll get good technical support and reasonably good observing conditions.”

The Huntsman Telescope, named after the spider for its number of lenses but also the creatures that sometimes visit its dome, will open to the public on October 1 as part of the region’s annual StarFest event.