History of Astronomy in Australia: Big-Impact Astronomy from World War II until the Lunar Landing (1945-1969)

TL;DR

This paper reviews the development of Australian astronomy from 1945 to 1969, highlighting key publications, impact metrics, and historical context, while also paying tribute to influential scientists and institutions involved in this transformative period.

Contribution

It uniquely combines bibliometric analysis with historical research to identify influential Australian astronomy papers and scientists from 1945-1969, including a tribute to key contributors.

Findings

Top ten most-cited papers identified across five time intervals.

Significant growth in Australian astronomy research post-WWII.

Recognition of pioneering scientists, including women, in Australian astronomy.

Abstract

Radio astronomy commenced in earnest after World War II, with Australia keenly engaged through the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. At this juncture, Australia's Commonwealth Solar Observatory expanded its portfolio from primarily studying solar phenomena to conducting stellar and extragalactic research. Subsequently, in the 1950s and 1960s, astronomy gradually became taught and researched in Australian universities. However, most scientific publications from this era of growth and discovery have no country of affiliation in their header information, making it hard to find the Australian astronomy articles from this period. In 2014, we used the then-new Astrophysics Data System (ADS) tool Bumblebee to overcome this challenge and track down the Australian-led astronomy papers published during the quarter of a century after World War II, from 1945 until the lunar landing in 1969. This required knowledge of the research centres and facilities operating at the time, which are briefly summarised herein. Based on citation counts -- an objective, universally-used measure of scientific impact -- we report on the Australian astronomy articles which had the biggest impact. We have identified the top-ten most-cited papers, and thus also their area of research, from five consecutive time-intervals across that blossoming quarter-century of astronomy. Moreover, we have invested a substantial amount of time researching and providing a small tribute to each of the 62 scientists involved, including several trail-blazing women. Furthermore, we provide an extensive list of references and point out many interesting historical connections and anecdotes.