On the seventh of August 2024 the BMI hosted a talk by Professor Elisabetta Barberio entitled ‘On Searching for Dark Matter in Regional Victoria.’ 

The introduction to the talk outlined some of the involvement the BMI has had in the dissemination of information in the past, regarding the universe and astronomy. 

While the lecture dwelt on dark matter, the universe we can not see, the BMI concentrated on the stars and the visible universe through the means of published books and charts, and we can now throw some light on particular extracts from the archives.

It was found that the BMI had in 1937, accepted a gift from O.A.Capell of Ballarat of a three inch astronomical telescope to be hired or loaned out to various schools in the district, including the Ballarat High School, for the purpose of education, then having the telescope transferred to other schools.

It seemed to get lost somewhere in these transfers, maybe because there was a very serious war taking place in which Australia was involved,  and so Mr. Capell and the BMI decided in 1940 that the gift of the telescope be revoked and ownership transferred to the Ballarat Astronomical Society. A wise decision.

Here is the story of the telescope http://bmilibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/telescope19.htm

Here are some books in our Heritage book collection regarding astronomy, not for loan but may be read on site… http://bmilibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/astromonyall.htm