Mont Mégantic Observatory
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| Organization | Université de Montréal and Université Laval |
|---|---|
| Location | Mont Mégantic |
| Coordinates | |
| Altitude | 1111 metres (3645 ft) |
| Webpage | [1] |
| Telescopes | |
| Unnamed telescope | 1.6 m Ritchey-Chrétien |
The Observatoire du Mont Mégantic (Mont Mégantic Observatory in English) is an astronomical observatory owned and operated jointly by the Université de Montréal and the Université Laval. Founded in 1978, it is the largest observatory of eastern Canada, and is situated at the summit of Mont Mégantic, the highest point of the province of Québec to be accessible by car.
The observatory (IAU code 301) is about 250 km east of Montréal and about the same distance south of Quebec City.
The telescope is equipped with a complement of modern instruments: visible imagery, spectroscopy and polarimetry are routinely conducted. There is also an infrared imager, but it is often "borrowed" by astronomers observing at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT).
The current director is René Doyon.
Efforts to control local light pollution (about one-quarter of which is due to the nearby city of Sherbrooke) have led to the establishment of the world's first International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) Dark Sky preserve around the observatory, covering some 5500 square kilometres.[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Karalis, Lee; and Legris, Chloé; First International Dark Sky Reserve Is Announced in Québec!, International Dark-Sky Association press release, September 21, 2007
[edit] External links
- Mont Mégantic Observatory Clear Sky Clock Forecast of observing conditions.
- Astrolab Parc Nacional Mont Megantic Information about visiting the ASTROlab during the day.
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