Dominion Astrophysical Observatory
Dominion Astrophysical Observatory / Observatoire fédéral d'astrophysique du Canada | |
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The building of the Plaskett telescope |
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founding | 1918 |
IAU code | 658 |
Type | Observatory |
height | 227 m |
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
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/Dominion_Astrophysical_Observatory_Telescope_%28crop%29.jpg/220px-Dominion_Astrophysical_Observatory_Telescope_%28crop%29.jpg)
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 |
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Historic Place of Canada Lieu patrimonial du Canada |
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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
- official website , on the website of the National Research Council of Canada (nrc-cnrc.gc.ca)
- Photo of DAO, 1920, U. Wash Digital Collections .
Individual evidence
- ↑ 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.).
- ^ The Dominion Astrophysical Observatory . astro-canada.ca.