Pic du Midi de Bigorre

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Another Pic du Midi is the Pic du Midi d'Ossau.
Pic du Midi de Bigorre

The Pic du Midi de Bigorre and its observatory
Elevation 2,877 metres (9,439 ft)
Location France
Range Pyrenees
Coordinates 42°56′N 0°8′E

The Pic du Midi de Bigorre or simply Pic du Midi (altitude 2,877 meters [9,439 feet]) is a mountain in the French Pyrenees famous for its astronomical observatory, the Observatoire du Pic du Midi de Bigorre (Pic du Midi Observatory), part of the Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (Midi-Pyrénées Observatory).

Construction of the observatory began in 1878, and the dome was completed in 1908. A 106-centimeter (42-inch) telescope was installed in 1963 funded by NASA, and was used to take detailed photographs of the surface of the Moon in preparation for the Apollo missions. A new telescope, known as the Bernard Lyot Telescope and nearly twice the size of the original, was placed at the observatory in 1980. It is the largest telescope in France.

The observatory is located at 42°56′N 0°8′E, placing it very close to the Greenwich meridian.


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