The Rothney Astrophysical Observatory (RAO) 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 An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. ...

located near the hamlet of Priddis,

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

, about southwest of

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...

. The observatory is owned and operated by the

University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...

(UC), and was dedicated in 1972. The facility is used for research, undergraduate and graduate teaching, and public outreach. Research performed at the RAO included a

variable star A variable star is a star whose brightness as seen from Earth (its apparent magnitude) changes with time. This variation may be caused by a change in emitted light or by something partly blocking the light, so variable stars are classified as e ...

search program, follow-up observations of variable star discoveries, and detailed investigation of

binary star A binary star is a system of two stars that are gravitationally bound to and in orbit around each other. Binary stars in the night sky that are seen as a single object to the naked eye are often resolved using a telescope as separate stars, in ...

s. An outstanding minor planet search program was also performed with comet discoveries by Rob Cardinal. The RAO now participates in many follow-up observation programs, including the Quark Nova project.

Telescopes

* The A.R. Cross Telescope (ARCT) is a Ritchey-Chrétien design dedicated in 1987. It is attached to an unusual altitude-altitude (alt-alt) mount which allows greater access to northern skies than other mounts. It was originally equipped with metal mirror acquired many years earlier, but even before the telescope was completed, plans were made to acquire a conventional mirror. This new primary was fabricated in the 1980s and, under a cost-sharing agreement, used from 1990 to 1993 at

Apache Point Observatory The Apache Point Observatory (APO; obs. code: 705) is an astronomical observatory located in the Sacramento Mountains in Sunspot, New Mexico, United States, approximately south of Cloudcroft. The observatory is operated by New Mexico State Un ...

. The glass mirror was finally installed in 1996. The telescope is equipped with the Rapid Alternate Detection System (RADS) developed at UC. The computer-controlled "chopping" of the secondary mirror enables observers to perform differential photometry with the telescope. * The Baker-Nunn Telescope was built in 1957 and donated in 1981 to RAO by the

Canadian Forces Base A Canadian Forces base or CFB (french: links=no, base des Forces canadiennes, BFC) is a military installation of the Canadian Armed Forces. For a facility to qualify as a Canadian Forces base, it must station one or more major units (e.g., army r ...

Cold Lake. It is a modified

Cassegrain reflector The Cassegrain reflector is a combination of a primary concave mirror and a secondary convex mirror, often used in optical telescopes and radio antennas, the main characteristic being that the optical path folds back onto itself, relative to t ...

which was used to track satellites under a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

program. The original altitude-altitude-azimuth mount was replaced with a simpler

equatorial mount An equatorial mount is a mount for instruments that compensates for Earth's rotation by having one rotational axis, the polar axis, parallel to the Earth's axis of rotation. This type of mount is used for astronomical telescopes and cameras. The ...

when the telescoped was refurbished in 2004.

DFM Engineering DFM Engineering is an American telescope and optics manufacturer founded in 1979 by Frank Melsheimer in Longmont, Colorado. DFM makes medium size Cassegrain telescopes and their associated systems including telescope optics, control systems, and ...

performed the work with the help of UC. * The Clark-Milone Telescope (CMT), named after former co-directors Alan Clark and

Eugene Milone Eugene Frank Milone (born 1939, Bronx, NY) is an American astronomer. He received a bachelor's degree from Columbia University in 1961, and a Ph.D. in astronomy from Yale University. After teaching for several years at Gettysburg College where h ...

, was installed at RAO in 1972. It was used to develop RADS in the early 1980s.

References

External links

Rothney Astrophysical Observatory homepage

Forecasts of observing conditions. {{Portal bar, Canada, Astronomy, Stars, Spaceflight, Outer space, Solar System, Education, Science Astronomical observatories in Canada University of Calgary Buildings and structures in Alberta 1972 establishments in Alberta

Telescopes

See also

References

External links