The (NAOJ) is an

astronomical Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest include ...

research organisation comprising several facilities in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, as well as an observatory in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

and

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

. It was established in 1988 as an amalgamation of three existing research organizations - the Tokyo Astronomical Observatory of the

University of Tokyo The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...

, International Latitude Observatory of Mizusawa, and a part of Research Institute of Atmospherics of

Nagoya University , abbreviated to or NU, is a Japanese national research university located in Chikusa-ku, Nagoya. It was established in 1939 as the last of the nine Imperial Universities in the then Empire of Japan, and is now a Designated National Universit ...

. In the 2004 reform of national research organizations, NAOJ became a division of the National Institutes of Natural Sciences.

Facilities

$NAOJ-mitaka-65cm-refractor-dome$ Shisa on the gate of the telescope Station in Ishigaki Japan

;Mitaka Campus (

Mitaka, Tokyo file:井之頭恩賜公園 (16016034730).jpg, 260px, Inokashira Park in Mitaka is a Cities of Japan, city in the Western Tokyo region of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 190,403, and a population density of 12,00 ...

. ) :The Headquarters, Astronomy Data Center, Advanced Technology Center, Public Relations Center :Solar Flare Telescope, Sunspot Telescope, TAMA 300 gravitational wave detector :

Tokyo Photoelectric Meridian Circle The Tokyo Photoelectric Meridian Circle (PMC) is a meridian circle that observes and records the positions of stars and planets, which are then reported in the PMC catalogs. Meridian circle The Tokyo Photoelectric Meridian Circle is a fully aut ...

:Historical instruments: Solar Tower Telescope, 65cm refractor dome, 20cm refractor dome ;Nobeyama Radio Observatory ( Minamimaki, Nagano. ) :45m Millimeter Radio Telescope, Nobeyama Radio Polarimeter :Decommissioned instruments: Nobeyama Millimeter Array, Nobeyama Radio Heliograph ;Mizusawa VLBI Observatory (

Ōshū, Iwate is a Cities of Japan, city located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 114,620 and a population density of 120 persons per km2 in 45,728 households. The total area of the city is . Ōshū is famous for its Maes ...

. ) :VERA Mizusawa Station (20m radio telescope), 10m VLBI radio telescope :Historical building: Dr. Kimura Museum ;VERA Ogasawara Station ( Ogasawara. ) :20m radio telescope ;VERA Iriki Station ( Iriki. ) :20m radio telescope ;VERA Ishigakijima Station ( Ishigakijima. ) :20m radio telescope ; KAGRA ( Hida,

Gifu is a Cities of Japan, city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. Durin ...

. ) :KAGRA gravitational wave telescope ;Ishigakijima Observatory ( Ishigakijima) :Murikabushi telescope ;Hawaii Observatory (

) :

Subaru is the automaker, automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate (company), conglomerate Subaru Corporation (formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries), the Automotive industry#By manufacturer, twenty-first largest aut ...

8m telescope (

Mauna Kea Mauna Kea (, ; abbreviation for ''Mauna a Wākea''); is a dormant Shield volcano, shield volcano on the Hawaii (island), island of Hawaii. Its peak is above sea level, making it the List of U.S. states by elevation, highest point in Hawaii a ...

). ) :Hilo Base Facility (

Hilo, Hawaii Hilo () is the largest settlement in and the county seat of Hawaii County, Hawaiʻi, United States, which encompasses the Island of Hawaiʻi, and is a census-designated place (CDP). The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 census. I ...

. ) ;Chile Observatory (

Atacama Desert The Atacama Desert () is a desert plateau located on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of South America, in the north of Chile. Stretching over a strip of land west of the Andes Mountains, it covers an area of , which increases to if the barre ...

) : Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array : Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment (ASTE) ;Decommissioned Facilities :Norikura Solar Observatory (Mount Norikura, Nagano, ) :: Formerly under NAOJ and decommissioned in 2010. Building reused for research purposes, including non-astronomical work for the National Institute of Natural Sciences. :Okayama Astrophysical Observatory (Mount Chikurinji in Asakuchi,

Okayama is the prefectural capital, capital Cities of Japan, city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The Okayama metropolitan area, centered around the city, has the largest urban employment zone in the Chugoku region of western J ...

. ) :: Facility still belongs to NAOJ, but its 188cm telescope is now operated by the

Tokyo Institute of Technology The Tokyo Institute of Technology () was a public university in Meguro, Tokyo, Japan. It merged with Tokyo Medical and Dental University to form the Institute of Science Tokyo on 1 October 2024. The Tokyo Institute of Technology was a De ...

. :: Decommissioned telescopes: 91cm telescope, 65cm Coude-Type solar telescope

NINS

In 2004, NAOJ, in alliance with four other national institutes – the National Institute for Basic Biology, the National Institute for Fusion Science, the National Institute for Physiological Sciences, and the Institute for Molecular Science – established the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) to promote collaboration among researchers of the five constituent institutes.NINS outline
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Projects with NAOJ involvement

ALMA Alma or ALMA may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Alma'' (film), a 2009 Spanish short animated film * ''Alma'', an upcoming film by Sally Potter * ''Alma'' (Oswald de Andrade novel), 1922 * ''Alma'' (Le Clézio novel), 2017 * ''Alma'' ( ...

, ASTE *

SELENE In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Selene (; , meaning "Moon")''A Greek–English Lexicon's.v. σελήνη is the goddess and personification of the Moon. Also known as Mene (), she is traditionally the daughter ...

* VSOP, VSOP-2 * Hinode (Solar-B) * SPICA (satellite) *

JASMINE Jasmine (botanical name: ''Jasminum'', pronounced ) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family of Oleaceae. It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Jasmines are wid ...

* Hubble Origins Probe

References

External links

Mitaka Campus
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Astronomical Observatory Of Japan Astronomy institutes and departments Astronomical observatories in Japan Astronomical observatories in Hawaii Buildings and structures in Hawaii County, Hawaii Scientific organizations established in 1988 1988 establishments in Japan

Facilities

NINS

Projects with NAOJ involvement

See also

References

External links