- Mont Mégantic Observatory
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Coordinates: 45°27′20.66″N 71°9′9.81″W / 45.4557389°N 71.152725°W
Observatoire du Mont MéganticOrganization Université de Montréal and
Université LavalLocation Mont Mégantic Coordinates 45°27′18″N 71°9′12″W / 45.455°N 71.15333°W Altitude 1111 metres (3645 ft) Webpage [1] Telescopes Unnamed telescope 1.6 m Ritchey-Chrétien 
Dome of OMM's 1.6 m telescope.
The Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic (abbreviated as OMM and called Mont Mégantic Observatory in English) is an astronomical observatory owned and operated jointly by the Université de Montréal, the Université Laval and the McGill University. 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.
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 km (2123 square miles). [1]
The Asteroid 4843 Mégantic is named for the Observatory [2]
See also
- List of observatories
- List of largest optical reflecting telescopes
References
- ^ Karalis, Lee; and Legris, Chloé; First International Dark Sky Reserve Is Announced in Québec!, International Dark-Sky Association press release, September 21, 2007
- ^ http://astro-canada.ca/_en/a2109.html
External links
- Mont Mégantic Observatory Clear Sky Clock Forecast of observing conditions.
- Astrolab du parc national du Mont-Mégantic Information about visiting the ASTROlab during the day.
Categories:- Astronomical observatories in Canada
- Science museums in Canada
- Museums in Quebec
- Dark sky parks
- Visitor attractions in Estrie
- Astronomical observatory stubs
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