S. C. B. ‘Ben’ Gascoigne 1915–2010

Fred Watson

doi:10.1071/HR24034

EDITORIAL (Open Access)

Previous Contents Vol 36(2)

S. C. B. ‘Ben’ Gascoigne 1915–2010

Fred Watson

^A ^*

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia.

^* Correspondence to: fred.watson@mq.edu.au

Historical Records of Australian Science 36, HR24034 https://doi.org/10.1071/HR24034

Published online: 6 May 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of the Australian Academy of Science. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY).

Abstract

Professor Sidney Charles Bartholomew Gascoigne AO, FAA (1915–2010) was an Aotearoa New Zealand-born astronomer whose distinguished career was carried out mostly in Australia. Known to all as Ben Gascoigne, his warm personality and many contributions to Australian optical astronomy made him a respected and much-loved elder statesman of the science. His work on the development and commissioning of the Anglo-Australian Telescope (opened in 1974) is held in particularly high regard. In retirement, Ben took on a new career, supporting his wife Rosalie as she found fame as one of Australia’s most prominent artists.

Keywords: Anglo-Australian Telescope, Australian astronomy history, Great Melbourne Telescope, LMC, Magellanic Clouds, Mount Stromlo Observatory, photoelectric astronomical photometry, Rosalie Gascoigne, S C B ‘Ben’ Gascoigne, SMC.

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