The Molėtai Astronomical Observatory (MAO; ''Molėtų astronomijos observatorija'' in Lithuanian) is an
astronomical
Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galaxi ...
observatory owned and operated by
Vilnius University Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy. It is located on the Kaldiniai Hill next to
Kulionys,
Lithuania, 10 km from the town of
Molėtai.
History
The
old astronomical observatory of
Vilnius University
Vilnius University ( lt, Vilniaus universitetas) is a public research university, oldest in the Baltic states and in Northern Europe outside the United Kingdom (or 6th overall following foundations of Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews, Glasgow and ...
, opened in 1753, and the new University observatory near
Vingis Park, built in 1921, gradually appeared inside the city of Vilnius where conditions turned out to be unsatisfactory for astronomical observations. In 1969, a new observatory was started
in the Molėtai district, about 70 km north of Vilnius. It is built on the Kaldiniai Hill just near the small village of Kulionys, about 10 km from the town of Molėtai. In the fall of 1969, the first 25 cm diameter telescope of the Molėtai Astronomical Observatory (MAO) was mounted. Later on, it was placed to the 35/51 cm Maksutov telescope. In 1974 and 1991, the reflecting telescopes of 63 cm and 165 cm diameters were put into operation.
Equipment
MAO currently has three research telescopes:
* 35 cm
Maksutov telescope
The Maksutov (also called a "Mak") is a catadioptric telescope design that combines a spherical mirror with a weakly negative meniscus lens in a design that takes advantage of all the surfaces being nearly "spherically symmetrical". The negative ...
(f/3.5), which replaced MAO's first 25 cm telescope in 1975,
* 63 cm
Cassegrain telescope,
* 165 cm
Ritchey–Chrétien telescope, which MAO claims is the largest in
Northern Europe (excluding Britain).
See also
*
List of largest optical reflecting telescopes
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
References
External links
Molėtai Observatory
Astronomical observatories built in the Soviet Union
Astronomical observatories in Lithuania
Buildings and structures in Utena County
*
Minor-planet discovering observatories
Buildings and structures of Vilnius University
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