Dominion Astrophysical Observatory

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Dominion Astrophysical Observatory / Observatoire fédéral d'astrophysique du Canada
Dominion Astrophysical Observatory ca.1900--1925.jpg

The building of the Plaskett telescope

founding 1918
IAU code 658
Type Observatory
height 227  m
Coordinates 48 ° 31 '11.3 "  N , 123 ° 25' 5.8"  W Coordinates: 48 ° 31 '11.3 "  N , 123 ° 25' 5.8"  W.
place Saanich  BC
operator National Research Council of Canada - Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics

The Dominion Astrophysical Observatory / Observatoire fédéral d'astrophysique du Canada (DAO / OFA) is an observatory in Saanich , British Columbia , Canada . It was the first Canadian observatory to achieve international importance and was then one of the most important in the world until around the middle of the 20th century.

history

The Plaskett telescope , a 1918 built mirror telescope with a diameter of 72 inches

The observatory was built in 1918 by the government on the initiative and according to a design by John Stanley Plaskett .

The observatory has a 72-inch reflector telescope (1.8 meters), the Plaskett telescope from 1918, at the time the second largest in the world . Then, in 1962, the observatory acquired a second telescope that was 48 inches in diameter. Equipped with only one spectroscope , it was mainly used to study binary stars .

In 1970 responsibility for the observatory was transferred to the National Research Council of Canada .

In 1981 an additional 40 cm telescope was installed.

Since 1995 it has been the seat of the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics .

Dominion Astrophysical Observatory National Historic Site of Canada
Lieu historique national du Canada de l'Observatoire-Fédéral-d'Astrophysique
Canadian Register of Cultural Monuments logo
Historic Place of Canada
Lieu patrimonial du Canada
Recognized since January 12, 2001
Type National Historic Site of Canada
ID 16392
Recognized by Canadian Federal Government
Approved by Historic Sites and Monuments Act
Entry Canadian List of Monuments

The observatory was declared a National Historic Site of Canada on January 12, 2001 . The International Astronomical Union declared it Outstanding Astronomical Heritage because of its importance in the history of astronomy .

business

It is open to the public as an observatory. One visitor center, the Center of the Universe , was closed for lack of money.

See also

literature

  • Helen Sawyer Hogg: Memories of the Plaskett Era of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory 1931-1934. In: Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada , Vol. 82, NO. 6 / DEC (1988), p. 328. bibcode : 1988JRASC..82..328H .
  • Richard A. Jarrell: The Instrument was Instrumental - Plaskett's Telescope and Canadian Astronomy Between the Wars. In: Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada , Vol. 87 (08/1993), p. 218. bibcode : 1993JRASC..87..218J .
  • John S. Plaskett: The Dominion Astrophysical Observatory. In: Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific , Vol. 39, No. 228 (04/1927), p. 88. bibcode : 1927PASP ... 39 ... 88P .
  • John S. Plaskett: History of Astronomy in British Columbia. In: Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada , Vol. 77 (06/1983), p. 108. bibcode : 1983JRASC..77..108P .
  • RASC: A New 48-inch Telescope for the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory. In: Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada , Vol. 52, p. 167. bibcode : 1958JRASC..52..167. .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. a b Dominion Astrophysical Observatory National Historic Site of Canada (No. 16392). In: Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved February 17, 2018 (English, and Dominion Astrophysical Observatory (No. 2966) , ibid.).
  2. ^ The Dominion Astrophysical Observatory . astro-canada.ca.