David Malin - Science Talk 2008

Introduction

Dr David Malin was born and raised in Lancashire in Northern England. He trained as a chemist and worked in the area of optical and electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and other techniques for exploring the very small. It was during his work as a chemist that he became interested in imaging.

David joined the Anglo-Australian Observatory as a photographic scientist in 1975. It was during his work with the AAO that he developed his hypersensitising processes to speed up the processing of photography for astronomy. He also invented new ways of revealing information on astronomical plates and it is these innovations in imaging that have gained him an international reputation for his achievements. David is currently Adjunct Professor of Scientific Photography at RMIT University in Melbourne.

In this Science talk resource David describes how photography has made modern astronomy possible, starting with the discovery of the telescope and developing into the use of electronic imagers that are sensitive to a very wide range of wavelengths, far beyond what the eye can see. An additional component of this resource is an entertaining discussion between David and another famous Astronomer, Fred Watson.