Narrabri Stellar Intensity Interferometer

The Narrabri Stellar Intensity Interferometer (NSII) was the first astronomical instrument to measure the diameters of a large number of stars at visible wavelengths. It was designed by (amongst others) Robert Hanbury Brown, who received the Hughes Medal in 1971 for this work. It was built by University of Sydney School of Physics and was located near the town of Narrabri in north-central New South Wales, Australia. The design was based on an earlier optical intensity interferometer built by Hanbury Brown and Richard Q. Twiss at Jodrell Bank in the UK. The NSII operated from 1963 until 1974, and was used to measure the angular diameters of 32 stars.

References

• The angular diameters of 32 stars, Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. Volume 167 pp 121-136 (1974)
• Hanbury Brown R, The intensity interferometer – its application to astronomy, Taylor & Francis, 1974

External links

• Photograph of the Narrabri Stellar Intensity Interferometer with no copyright information

Coordinates: 30°12′33″S 149°45′04″E / 30.20917°S 149.75111°E / -30.20917; 149.75111