Calar Alto Observatory

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Calar Alto Observatory

Organization	Max-Planck institute for astronomy, Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia
Location	Almería, Spain
Coordinates	37°13′25″N, 2°32′46″W
Altitude	2,168 m (7,113 ft)
Webpage	www.caha.es
Telescopes
telescope	3.5 m reflector
telescope	2.2 m reflector
telescope	1.5 m reflector
telescope	1.23 m reflector
telescope	0.8 m Schmidt reflector
Asteroids discovered: 4 (63429) 2001 MH5 June 21, 2001 (94223) 2001 BU53 January 17, 2001 (99258) 2001 MF5 June 21, 2001 (124143) 2001 ME5 June 21, 2001

The Calar Alto Observatory (Centro Astronómico Hispano-Alemán or Deutsch-Spanisches Astronomisches Zentrum, respectively "German-Spanish Astronomical Centre" and "Spanish-German Astronomical Centre") is an astronomical observatory owned and operated jointly by the Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie (Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy) in Heidelberg, Germany, and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia) in Granada, Spain. It is located in Almería province in Spain on Calar Alto, the highest mountain in Almería.

[edit] History

The site was proposed in 1970, and was officially opened in July of 1975 with the commissioning of its 1.2 metre telescope. The site developed due to the strong ties between the German and Spanish cooperation. Eventually 4 more telescopes were commissioned.

[edit] Equipment

The Max-Planck institute owns a 3.5 metre, 2.2 m, and a 1.23 m telescope plus a 0.8 m Schmidt reflector. The 1.5 m telescope is owned by the Spanish.

[edit] References

1. Calar Alto Observatory homepage. Centro Astronómico Hispano Alemán. Retrieved on December 12, 2005.

Coordinates: 37°13′14.85″N, 2°32′47.67″W