Australian scientists turn to crowd funding to continue seeing stars

Australian scientists have turned to crowd funding in an attempt to continue seeing stars as governmental funding cuts may cause astronomers to abandon a project to map the solar system's fourth quadrant.

Twenty Australian scientists are on the brink of abandoning the four-year project which has been mapping the delta quadrant of the solar system, the brightest part of the Milky Way due to a 60,000 Australian dollar funding shortfall.

Professor Michael Burton told News Corp on Tuesday the funding for the project had been pulled after cutbacks to Australia's scientific body the CSIRO by the Australian government and the Mopra telescope -- 450 kilometers northwest of Sydney -- they use will be shut down.

"[Crowdfunding is] a new thing that we are trying for ourselves, " Burton said.

"We've never tried to fund research by appealing to the public, but the results have been encouraging, we have still got some way to go but we are on track for it."

Two thirds of the map have been completed, with Burton saying one year is needed to complete the survey.

The scientists can use the Mopra telescope remotely -- keeping the costs down -- using the money on maintenance and costs keep the telescope operating over the summer months when weather conditions hamper the star-gazing.

Burton said if the telescope is shut down, it will be too expensive to restart as components must be kept at specific environmental conditions.

The current map of the Delta quadrant in use by astronomers was completed with a telescope that had a diameter of one meter. The new map under survey is more detailed, using a 22-meter diameter dish.

The Mopra telescope is the only facility in the world that has the capabilities to complete the project, Burton said. Endi