Just in case you hadn't heard this horrible news!!! Our Australian friends are dealing with devastating fires around Canberra, with enormous loss for the astronomical community.† Thanks to Glen Moore for forwarding the news. †Glen Moore <gkm@uow.edu.au> wrote: Historic Mt. Stromlo Observatory has been destroyed by fire! from a message just received.... "Stromlo Observatory is effectively destroyed. All people are accounted for which is the most important thing. All of the residential houses, bar two, are gone, as are the 50", Yale-Columbia, Oddie, Old Admin Building, Workshops, etc. The 74" and Visitor Centre are unaccounted for right now, but are on the worst side of the mountain and are probably lost. Gary is hearing that the Woolley building suffered water damage, but may be salvageable. Nothing reported on the Duffield. In terms of practicalities, the loss of the Workshop may be hardest to deal with. NIFS, the instrument soon to be delivered to Gemini, is lost, and what the loss of the workshop means for the one they had just been commissioned to build is yet to be sorted." Dr. Lucy Fortson ph: 312-322-0338 Director of Astronomy fx: 312-322-2257 Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum secty: 312-322-0323 1300 S. Lakeshore Dr. Chicago, IL 60605 APO APO APO APO APO Apache Point Observatory 3.5m APO APO APO APO APO This is message 649 in the apo35-general archive. You can find APO the archive on http://www.astro.princeton.edu/APO/apo35-general/INDEX.html APO To join/leave the list, send mail to apo35-request@astro.princeton.edu APO To post a message, mail it to apo35-general@astro.princeton.edu APO APO APO APO APO APO APO APO APO APO APO APO APO APO APO APO APO