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Observatories
Air Force Maui Optical Station The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AMOS)
facility is located on the summit of Haleakala on
the island of Maui, Hawaii. The instruments include dual 1.2 meter
telescopes, a 1.6 meter telescope, and the Raven 16" telescope in Kihei, Maui. The AMOS mission conducts research and
development of space surveillance systems, and operation of the Maui High
Performance Computing Center. Also visit the link
http://www.afrl.af.mil/ for more
information.
Amateur Astronomical Observatories Web site by Bill Arnett. Features small
observatories built by amateur astronomers. A great resource and
inspiration if you have a desire to build your own personal observatory.
Categories include Vendors, Roll Off Roofs, Domes, and Piers for your
telescopes, and several related miscellaneous links.
The
Anglo-Australian Observatory Located at Siding Spring Mt.
in New South Wales, a renowned Southern Hemisphere facility. Main
telescopes include the 3.9 meter Anglo-Australian Telescope and the 1.2
Meter UK Schmidt Telescope. Other instruments include infrared and optical
spectrographs, and, an array of radio telescopes near by.
Apache Point
Observatory APO is privately owned
and operated by the Astrophysical Research Consortium (ARC) and located at
Apache Point, New Mexico. The APO facility is one of the sites used in
completing the Digital Sky Survey (DSS) The main telescopes are a 3.5
meter instrument and the 2.5 meter Sloan Digital Sky Survey Telescope.
Some additional instruments include an infrared imager and grism
spectrometer, a medium-resolution visible-light spectrograph and imager, a
high-resolution visible-light CCD imager, and an echelle spectrograph. The
facility does most of it's research through real time remote operations
via the Internet.
ARENA ARENA is a
European networking activity aimed at fostering optical and infrared
astronomy in
Antarctica, and primarily at Dome C at the CONCORDIA station on the
Antarctic Plateau. 7 European countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy,
Portugal, Spain, the UK and Australia make up the consortium. Primary
science involves optical and infrared astronomy in Antarctica. Instruments
include the ICECAM CCD camera, COBBER, SODAR, and SUMMIT. Plans for future
include installation of a 2m telescope, and possibly a 4m telescope.
Australian Virtual Observatory The AVO project is developing a
virtual observatory designed to merge the world's astronomy archives, and
virtual observatory environment for publishing and analyzing astronomical
data from Australian & International telescopes, and for comparing data
with sophisticated theoretical models. Catalogs and datasets will include
HIPASS Catalogue, the HIPASS, HVC catalog, MACHO, and the SUMSS source
catalog. A wonderful resource that will allow individuals to browse,
compile and retrieve images remotely from your desktop. Instruments used
for the catalogs include the Parkes radio telescope, Anglo-Australian
Telescope, Australia Telescope Compact Array & the Molonglo Observatory
Synthesis Telescope. Links to Papers, Presentations, and numerous related
web sites included.
Arkansas Sky
Observatory Established in 1971
by Dr. Clay Sherrod, a privately owned and operated observatory. This is
actually the home page for two facilities. The Petit Jean Facility and the
Conway facility. Observatory imaging information, sky event calendar,
links for comets, asteroids, observing techniques, image library,
discussion forums, links for further reading.
Armagh
Observatory The Armagh Observatory was
founded in the year 1791 by Richard Robinson, Baron Rokeby, Archbishop of
Armagh. It is located near Armagh, Ireland. The Armagh observatory was the
second observatory built in the UK. It has a rich heritage in UK
astronomical history. The Armagh web site provides the history of the
observatory, a gallery of Armagh images, history & description of the
Armagh instruments, information about current research at Armagh, an
appended list of rare and antiquarian books accumulated by the observatory
through 1883, historical information about the former directors of the
observatories, numerous historical images, and numerous links to related
web sites.
Astro-Web Site
from University of Strasbourg, France. This is a very comprehensive list
of Observatories & Telescope resources on the internet. It contains 368
records on the list, if you are trying to find the site for a particular
Telescope or Observatory this is the place.
Bradford Robotic Telescope Project The Bradford Robotic Telescope Project is
currently in the alpha testing phase of the project. When fully
operational, amateur astronomers and scientists will be able to use the
autonomous robotic telescope system to summit observing proposals. The
facility is located at the Observatorio del Teide site of the Instituto De
Astrofisica De Canarias, in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. The telescope
is situated at an altitude of 2,400 meters (7,874 feet). Web site provides
current news & updates, web cam images, project science & technology,
educational links & activities, a discussion forum, and links to related
web sights.
Burke-Gaffney
Observatory Observatory located at the
Department of Astronomy and Physics at Saint Mary's University, Halifax,
Nova Scotia, Canada. The main instrument is an Ealing 41cm diameter
Cassegrain reflecting telescope. Primarily used for it is primary used for
teaching, public outreach, and modest research projects.
Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope The Canada-France-Hawaii
Telescope (CFHT) is a 3.6 meter optical-infrared
telescope, located on the 4,200m summit of Mauna Kea. Construction began
in 1977, with "First Light" in 1979. The telescope is a yoke type classical Prime Focus/Cassegrain combination. The
CHFT is a member of the Gemini Project. The web site offers news &
updates, science & technology of the telescope, & instruments, research &
publications, large image gallery, Astronomy & Outreach, a Virtual Tour of
the dome, and an assortment of links to related web sights.
Carlsberg Meridian
Telescope The Carlsberg
Meridian Telescope is dedicated to carrying out high-precision optical
astrometry. It is operated jointly by the Copenhagen University
Observatory (CUO), the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge (IoA) and the
Real Instituto y Observatorio de la Armada en San Fernando (ROA) and was
moved to La Palma in 1984. The telescope is a refractor with an objective
of 17.8 cm diameter and focal length of 266 cm. Web site includes sky
surveys for the Northern Hemisphere, data bases, images, and links to
related information.
Cerro Tololo
Inter-American Observatory This
site is home of CTIO a complex of astronomical telescopes and instruments
located near La Serena, Chile. CTIO is operated by AURA with the National
Science Foundation as a part of the National Optical Astronomy
Observatories. You will find images & many links here.
Griffith Observatory The Griffith Observatory and Planetarium
is located in Los Angeles, CA. It was a gift to the city by Col. Griffith
J. Griffith (1850 - 1919). The Observatory is a non-profit educational
institution whose purpose is to provide information on astronomy and
related sciences to the public. It is not a research institution.
Instruments include the 12-inch Zeiss refracting telescope, a 9-1/2" inch
Zeiss telescope donated in 1955 by amateur astronomer Ed Turner, and a 13"
coelostat for solar observing. Educational web site with various links to
related resources.
Harvard
University Observatory The Harvard University Observatory
is located in Cambridge, MA. The observatory is home to two historical
telescopes. The 15 inch "Great Refractor", and a 9 inch Alvan
Clark refractor. The 15 inch was used in research for many decades and
later by the observatory for their Public viewing programs. Currently this
beautiful 15 inch instrument is undergoing a full restoration. The Oak
Ridge Observatory is a facility of the Smithsonian Astrophysical
Observatory which is part of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for
Astrophysics. The facility instrument is a 61 inch Wyeth reflector used in
stellar radial velocities & the motions of comets and asteroids. They
also conduct Radio Astronomy research with an 84 foot steerable radio
telescope used in Project BETA, a search for extraterrestrial
intelligence. Numerous links to related web sites are provided.
High Altitude Observatory The High Altitude Observatory is
located in Boulder, CO. The observatory explores the Sun and its effects
on the Earth's atmosphere and physical environment. It is operated by
The Isaac Newton Group of
Telescopes The Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes (ING)
consists of the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope (WHT), the 2.5-m Isaac
Newton Telescope (INT), and the 1.0-m Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope (JKT),
operating on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, Spain. The web
site contains includes links to the various instruments, images, science
and news resources, observing and telescope time, a virtual tour, public
information, and numerous links to related information and web sites.
W.M. Keck
Observatory Home site for the
Keck Observatory located on the summit of Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii. The
Keck telescopes are the largest optical and infrared telescopes in the
world! This is a great web site lots of wonderful images and great links.
You can learn about interferomoetry, ESI, HIRES, LRIS, LWS, NIRC, NIRSPEC,
and next-generation Near Infrared Camera. Extensive links included.
Kitt Peak Observatory Kitt Peak
Observatory is located near Tucson, Arizona. The Kitt Peak Observatory
site was selected in 1958 with support from the National Science
Foundation (NSF). Kitt Peak Observatory hosts 22 optical telescopes and
two radio telescopes in addition to numerous scientific instruments. Be sure to visit the Virtual Tour section
on the web site to view many of the observatory instruments and the
facilities.
La Silla Observatory Observatory
Located in La Silla Chile, one of two facilities operated by the ESO
(European Southern Observatory).
The La Silla Observatory has several instruments the largest is the 3.6-M
telescope. The La Silla facility conducts research using Infrared,
Spectroscopic, and observational astronomy.
Las Campanas Observatory Las Campanas Observatory is located near La
Serena Chile and is a member of the Magellan Project. The primary
instruments are the Baade and the Clay
6.5-meter reflecting telescopes. The web site includes telescope &
observing information, and links to the Carnegie Institute.
Lowell Observatory Founded
in 1894 by Percival Lowell, home of the legendary 24 " refractor made by
Alvin Clark. Clyde Tombaugh an amateur astronomer and employee of Lowell
Observatory discovered Pluto on February 18, 1930 using the Clark
refractor. The Clark Telescope is still in use today as part of the
observatory's educational outreach program for the general public. Online
Lowell quarterly newsletter, further links for resources and information
on observatories, and Lowell's "StarTales".
Mt Graham International
Observatory
Homepage for MGIO a
division of Steward Observatory the research arm for the Department of
Astronomy at the University of Arizona. Mt Graham is located near Safford,
Arizona. You will find information about the LBT (Large Binocular
Telescope ) and the Heinrich Hertz submillimeter Telescope ,and the
Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope.
Mount Laguna Observatory
The Mt Laguna Observatory is located near San Diego, CA in the
Cleveland National Forest. The observatory is operated by the University
of San Diego and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The
observatory uses several instruments including a 40-inch reflector, the
Clifford Smith 24-inch reflector, and a 16" reflector. Also the Reginald
Buller 21-inch scope is used in public outreach programs. Links to
USD astronomy programs and related information.
MMT Observatory Home page for the
Multiple Mirror Telescope site, a joint facility of the Smithsonian
Institution & the University of Arizona. This Observatory is located near Amado, Arizona on the peak of Mt. Hopkins along with other telescopes. The
MMT is a 6.5 ( 256-inch ) telescope. Lots of images & links.
Mt Stromlo Observatory Mt Stromlo
Observatory located near Canberra AU. The facility was engulfed by a
devastating brush fire on January 18, 2003. The observatory lost 5 main
telescopes including the Gemini NIFS Near-Infrared Integral
Field-Spectrograph. This 2.5 million dollar instrument was nearing final
testing before delivery to the Gemini Observatory on Mauna Kea HI. Sadly
another magnificent historical telescope the 50" Great Melbourne Reflector
in use since 1869 was also destroyed. The long process of rebuilding this
essential Southern hemisphere facility is currently underway. The NIFS
instrument is also being reconstructed.
Mt Wilson Observatory Mt Wilson
Observatory is located in the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, CA. The
facility was originally conceived in 1904 by George Hale while he was
employed by Yerkes Observatory. The first instrument at Mt. Wilson was the
The Snow telescope. Mt Wilson is home to the historical 100" Hooker
telescope, built in 1917. The facility continues to conduct research in
Helioseismology, High Angular Resolution astronomy, Infrared & Optical
Interferometry, Stellar activity, and the TIE (telescopes in education)
program. The web site contains numerous web pages, and a large collection
of links to related web sites.
Mt Wilson Virtual Observatory This
site was created & maintained by Colleen Gino. She formerly was employed
by the Mt Wilson Institute. This is a fun site to see photos & views
from Mt. Wilson Observatory. Links to other useful sites included.
National
Solar Observatory The NSO web site is
home to both the
Kitt Peak, AZ and Sacramento
Peak, NM Solar Observatories. Here you will find links to both sites,
NSO mission statement, Telescope schedules, publications, visitor
information, solar image galleries, real time solar images, and numerous
links to related websites.
Palomar Observatory Palomar
Observatory is located on Palomar Mountain near San Diego CA. The
observatory was completed in November 1947, after delays in construction
due to WW II. The observatories main instruments are the 200" Hale
Telescope, the 48-inch Oschin Telescope, an 18-inch Schmidt telescope, and
a 60-inch reflecting telescope. Palomar Observatory is involved in many
areas of research including DPOSS (Digitized Palomar Observatory Sky
Survey), DPOSS II, Submillimeter Wave Astrophysics, Infrared Spectroscopy,
Observational Cosmology, and The Palomar Testbed Interferometer. On July
31, 2003 the Palomar Observatory will begin conducting a new sky survey,
the Palomar-QUEST survey using the newly refurbished 48-inch Oschin
Telescope.
Parnal
Observatory Observatory located in Parnal,
Chile. Operated by ESO in conjunction with the LA Silla Observatory. The
main telescope is the VLT (Very Large Telescope) which is an array of four
8.2 meter telescopes. Two future telescope projects are also currently
under way at Parnal, the VLT Survey Telescope a 2.5 meter instrument, and
the VISTA Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy a 4 meter
instrument.
Pine Mountain
Observatory Web site
for the Observatory operated by University of Oregon Physics Department.
Pine Mountain is located near Bend, OR. and is a member of NASTEC and GNAT.
Instruments include three Cassegrain reflecting telescopes, with mirrors
of 15", 24", and 32" diameters, each in its own domed building The web site offers an image
gallery, Outreach information and activities, link to
Friends of Pine
Mountain and several links to related web sites.
Puckett Observatory The Puckett
Observatory located is in Ellijay, GA. The observatory is dedicated to the
study and research of comets, and supernovae. It is a privately owned
facility owned & operated by Tim Puckett. The observatory's main
instrument is a 24.25" f/8 Ritchey-Chretien
reflector. The observatory has
been credited with the discovery of 70 supernovae. The web site includes
image galleries for supernovae and comets, a comet astrometry page, a link
to the ObservatoryScope (observatory class Robotic telescopes) web site
and a number of links to other resources on comets.
Royal
Observatory Greenwich The
Royal Observatory in Greenwich UK was built in 1675 by King Charles II.
John Flamsteed was the first "Astronomer Royal" appointed in
1675. The observatory originally was built to help solve the problem of
finding longitude for ship navigation. The observatory was closed in 1998
and the Royal Observatory is now located at Cambridge. Web site provides a
history of the observatory, news & historical information, astronomy
research & numerous links to related web sites.
SAAO The South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO)
is the national facility for Optical and Infrared astronomy in South
Africa and is part of the National Research Foundation. The SAAO began
with the founding of the Royal Observatory at the Cape of Good Hope in
1820. The large web site includes history of SAAO, current news, science &
technology of instruments, facility information, proprosals, public
information and numerous links to related web sites.
South African Large Telescope The SALT
observatory completed in 2005 is located in Sutherland South Africa. The
main instrument is an 11 meter mirror, along with additional instruments
the Prime Focus Imaging Spectrograph (PFIS), High Resolution Spectrograph
(HRS) and the SALT imaging camera (SALTICAM). The observatory primarily
conducts research in Spectroscopy. The web site provides SALT news,
research & observing proposals, images, science & technology of SALT, and
several related links.
SOAR
Telescope The SOAR (SOuthern Observatory for Astrophysical
Research) Telescope is a 4.1 m optical telescope, located near Cerro
Pachon, Chile. The facility was constructed in 1998, with the mirrors
completed in 2004. Instruments include the SOAR Optical Imager,
Goodman HTS, Spartan Infrared
Camera, and the OSIRIS (Ohio State Infrared Imager/Spectrometer). The SOAR
telescope observatory conducts research in Gamma Ray Bursts.
Stephen F. Austin State University Observatory The SFA
observatory is located just outside of Nacogdoches, TX. They use several
telescopes in the observatory facilities, including a 41" telescope that
was built by the faculty and staff of the Dept. of Physics & Astronomy.
Regular public viewings are scheduled by the students of the Physics Club.
Many links are provided that detail the research that is conducted by the
University, including, Extrasolar Planets, Eclipsing Binary Stars, Radio
Astronomy, Supernova research, and Spectroscopy.
Steward
Observatory Home
page for U of A's Steward Observatory Located at the University of Arizona. Information about Steward
Observatory Mirror Laboratory, MMT Multiple Mirror Telescope Observatory,
LBT Large Binocular Telescope Project, Mount Graham International
Observatory, and the NGST (next generation telescope) Design Studies at U
of A. Excellent links for further reading and research.
Strasburg Astronomical
Observatory The Strasburg
Observatory is a research facility located in Strasburg, France. It hosts
teaching and research activities, maintains the CDS SIMBAD catalog, and
provides public outreach opportunities with the Planetarium.
Subaru Telescope The Subaru Telescope is an 8.2 meter optical-infrared
telescope located on the 4,200m summit of Mauna Kea on the island of
Hawaii. The construction of the facility began in 1991. "First Light" for
the telescope was in January 1999. Web site provides background & science
of Subaru, image gallery, current news and press releases, a FAQ's, kids
links, downloads, and links to related web sights.
Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory The Sunriver
Nature Center & Observatory is a private, non-profit scientific and
educational organization in Sunriver, Oregon. If you visit Oregon make
sure to plan a visit to the center. They have a variety of telescopes for
observing, and solar viewing. Visitors have access to all the telescopes,
or you can bring your own telescope. They have many educational programs,
and summer events for families and often feature guest speakers.
UCAR
(University Center for Atmospheric Research). Some of the ground
instruments used at the observatory include CoMP, ECHO, PSPT, STARE,
POLIS, DLSP, . Space based instruments used Solar-B, Sunrise, SDO/HMI, and
the SMM. The UCAR website leads to multiple links for UCAR, HAO, NCAR, UCP,
and the National Science Foundation. Plenty of links to additional
Meteorological, Space weather, and other Atmospheric sciences, and
programs for undergraduate, postgraduate students, researchers, and the
general public.
United States Gemini Program The USGP at
NOAO is the gateway to the International Gemini Observatory: twin 8.1
meter telescopes located in Hawaii & Chile. You will find all kinds of
information & links here for the Gemini program.
University
of Virginia Observatories The
University of Virginia began an observational astronomy program in the
late 1800's, beginning with the Leander McCormick observatory. This
facility still operates the historical Alvan Clark 26 inch refractor which
was dedicated in 1885. Today the University operates programs and conducts
research at the McCormick observatory, the Mt Graham Observatory
University of Arizona, the Fan Mountain Observatory, and the Steward
Observatory University of Arizona. The UV web site provides information
on the telescopes, history of the UV astronomy program, links to each of
the telescope facilities and research, and numerous links to related web
sites.
The Whole Earth
Telescope Project The WET project is a
world-wide network of cooperating astronomical observatories researching
in the science of stellar seismology. The web site provides a history of
the project, contact information, list of participating observatories with
links to their web sites, forum, member publications, and related links.
Yerkes Observatory Yerkes
Observatory is located in Williams Bay, WI. The observatory site was
chosen by George Ellery Hale. The observatory was built in 1897. It is a
part of the University of Chicago's Department of Astronomy &
Astrophysics. The first telescope was the Yerkes 40 inch refractor named
after Charles Tyson Yerkes who financed the building of the observatory.
Today the Yerkes Observatory has 5 research telescopes and conducts
research in Infrared astronomy, radio waves, gamma ray, and other
astrophysical research at other sites in addition to the Yerkes facility.
The web site provides a nice background and history of the observatory,
current research programs, public outreach, historical photos, a virtual
tour, and links to related web sites. |
