Pine Mountain Observatory
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| Organization | University of Oregon |
|---|---|
| Location | near Bend, Oregon |
| Coordinates | |
| Altitude | 1980 m (6500 ft) |
| Web site | pmo-sun.uoregon.edu |
| Telescopes | |
| Unnamed Telescope | 32-inch Cassegrain telescope |
| Unnamed Telescope | 24-inch Cassegrain telescope |
| Unnamed Telescope | 15-inch Cassegrain telescope |
| Unnamed Telescope | 10-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope |
Pine Mountain Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by University of Oregon Physics Department. It is located 26 miles Southeast of Bend, Oregon (USA) at an elevation of 6500 feet.[1] The site was discovered by professors Russ Donnelly and E.G. Ebbinghausen in 1965[2] and has been in operation since 1967.[3]
There are four Cassegrain telescopes with apertures of 10, 15, 24 and 32-inches. The 10, 15 and 24-inch telescopes can be used for direct optical observation. The 32-inch telescope has a 1024 x 1024 pixel thinned, rear illuminated, blue-sensitive CCD camera with a field size of approximately 36 arcminutes mounted at the prime focus which prevents direct observations.
Pine Mountain Observatory is particularly notable for its public education initiatives, being one of the few professional observatories that routinely invites the public to participate in night tours and observing sessions. The observatory also hosts amateur star parties with the stated objective of directly involving more people in astronomy.
As well as public education, the observatory has hosted a number of significant projects including groundbreaking research [4] on White dwarf stars.
As of July 2007, a project is underway, in collaboration with Portland State University, to replace the historical 15" telescope with a remotely controlled 14-inch telescope for astronomical imaging.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Pine Mountain Observatory Homepage. Retrieved on 2007-09-05.
- ^ Alumni & Development CAS News, Honoring the Hundredth Time. University of Oregon College of Arts & Sciences (Autumn 2005). Retrieved on 2007-09-05.
- ^ Pine Mountain Observatory. University of Oregon College of Arts & Sciences (Spring 2000). Retrieved on 2007-09-05.
- ^ James C. Kemp; John B. Swedlund, J. D. Landstreet, and J. R. P. Angel (August 1970). Discovery of Circularly Polarized Light from a White Dwarf L77–L79. Astrophysical Journal. DOI:1970ApJ...161L..77K. Retrieved on 2007-09-06.
[edit] External links
- Pine Mountain Observatory Clear Sky Clock Forecast of observing conditions.
- Friends of Pine Mountain Observatory Volunteer group responsible for public viewing, tours, and educational outreach program.
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