✨#28 of #85 Things About DIAS
In 1950, Prof Leo W. Pollak, Director of the School of Cosmic Physics gave a public lecture in UCD, entitled ‘Is the Earth Getting Warmer?’
He outlined early evidence of a changing climate, from the effects of warming latitudes on fish migration, to glacier decay, and noted the growing scientific consensus that global warming was underway.
✨#26 of #85 Things About DIAS
The ADH telescope was used to study faint stars in the Magenellic Cloud & Orion Nebula, as well as search for evidence of a black hole in the centre of our galaxy using early electronic detectors.
Image: the Eta Carina Nebula as it appears on photographic plate No.H20
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The ADH was the brainchild of Harvard Observatory Director, Harlow Shapley who fortuitously met Taoiseach Eamon de Valera at Shannon Airport in 1948, whilst marooned due to fog. Shapley introduced himself and proceeded to discuss ideas for the reopening of Dunsink and the joint telescope project with Harvard and Armagh Observatory.
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The ADH Telescope
In 1950 the ADH Telescope was installed in Boyden Observatory in Bloemfontein, South Africa. It was the largest Schmidt telescope in the Southern Hemisphere in the 1950s. The 36 inch Schmidt telescope was built by the Perkin-Elmer Corporation in the US, financed by a £5,000 grant from each Armagh, Dunsink and Harvard
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The Armagh-Dunsink-Harvard Agreement
In 1948 DIAS Dunsink was central to the first ever inter-governmental agreement between the two parts of Ireland, and the first international agreement to operate a shared observing facility in the southern hemisphere. This pioneering collaboration linked Armagh and Dunsink Observatory with Harvard University under an agreement to build and operate a large Schmidt telescope at the Boyden Observatory in South Africa.
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In 1960, John L. Synge, Senior Professor at the DIAS School of Theoretical Physics, published ‘Relativity: The General Theory’, a seminal text that became a standard reference on Einstein’s theory. Renowned for its clarity and depth, the book shaped international research and teaching, reaffirming DIAS as a leading world centre for research in general relativity.
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Through its early international collaborations, DIAS strengthened Ireland’s academic standing by introducing expertise and methods that would have taken fair longer to develop domestically alone. The following slides highlight some of DIAS' collaborations in France, Italy, Austria and Sweden.
✨ #15 of 85 Things About DIAS - No. 5 Merrion Square
No. 5 Merrion Square was personally selected by Taoiseach Éamon de Valera as the premises for the School of Cosmic Physics. The building had previously been owned by Dr Robert Farnan, a Dáil Deputy and family friend. Apparently the house had been a refuge for de Valera on a number of occasions when he was on the run during the War of Independence.
No.5 now houses the Geophysics section of DIAS.
✨ #13 of 85 Things About DIAS - Dunsink Observatory becomes part of DIAS
Dunsink Observatory was built in 1785, and is considered Ireland’s oldest scientific institution. In 1947 the DIAS Astronomy & Astrophysics section became the caretakers of Dunsink Observatory. Today Dunsink Observatory stands as a physical testament to the evolution of astronomical research and education in Ireland and across the world over more than two centuries.
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The first Heads of Section in the School of Cosmic Physics
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