Melbourne Observatory, Australia, panoramic image. This observatory was founded in 1862 to maintain accurate time-keeping and general astronomical research. In 1868 a 48 inch telescope, known as the Great Melbourne Telescope, was installed. At the time it was the largest fully steerable telescope in the world. The observatory took part in the international collaborations to observe the 1874 Transit of Venus and to map the stars (the 'Cart du Ciel' project). The observatory was closed in 1945 due to the impact of light pollution.