Sydney Observatory is located on Observatory Hill at Millers Point. The heritage listed observatory, built in 1858, was essential to shipping, navigation, meteorology, timekeeping and the study of stars seen from the Southern Hemisphere. Government Astronomers worked and lived in the building until 1982, when it became part of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. It is now a museum and public observatory with a role in astronomy education and public telescope viewing. These telescope domes protect the optical telescopes and have slits in the roof that can be opened during observing and can be rotated to observe different sections of the night sky. The central tower features a weather vane and a time ball, which signalled the time to ships and to the General Post Office in Martin Place. It is still raised to the top of its post and dropped at exactly 1pm every day.
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