Kiso Observatory ( ja, 木曽観測所: Kiso Kansokujo) is an
astronomical 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. His ...
located at
Mt. Ontake in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. The observatory was founded in 1974, originally as a branch observatory of the Tokyo Astronomical Observatory, with the express objective of studying extra-galactic astronomical objects. Since 1988, it has been maintained by the Institute of Astronomy, Faculty of Science,
University of Tokyo ( ja,
東京大学天文学教育研究センター). It is home to the 105 cm
Schmidt Telescope. It is currently open for use by astronomers from all over the world.
In 2002, a 30 cm, fully automatic telescope was added with the designation K.3T (Kiso 0.3-meter Telescope). It is mainly used in the observation of variable stars. It has been automated to aid in the making of numerous repeat observations over long periods of time.
References
External links
Kiso ObservatoryUniversity of Tokyo
Astronomical observatories in Japan
Minor-planet discovering observatories
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