The Observatory of Saint-Veran (french: Observatoire de Saint-Véran) is a French 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 on the Pic de Château Renard in the municipality of
Saint-Véran
Saint-Véran (; oc, Sent Veran ˆsã vˈʀã is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France in the Queyras Regional Natural Park.
Geography
Saint-Véran, located in the French Alps, is the most elevated commune in France and ...
in the department of
Hautes-Alpes
Hautes-Alpes (; oc, Auts Aups; en, Upper Alps) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. It is located in the heart of the French Alps, after which it is named. Hautes-Alpes had a population of 141,220 ...
in the French Alpes. At 2,930 meter altitude, it is one of the highest observatories in Europe next to the
Sphinx Observatory
The Sphinx Observatory is an astronomical observatory located above the Jungfraujoch in Switzerland. It is named after the ''Sphinx'', a rocky summit on which it is located. At above mean sea level, it is one of the highest observatories in the ...
. The Facility is managed by the French amateur astronomy association "AstroQueyras".
The observatory was built in 1974 as a branch of the
Paris Observatory
The Paris Observatory (french: Observatoire de Paris ), a research institution of the Paris Sciences et Lettres University, is the foremost astronomical observatory of France, and one of the largest astronomical centers in the world. Its histor ...
. In 1990 amateur astronomers were granted use of its 62 cm
Cassegrain Cassegrain may refer to
* Cassegrain reflector, a design used in telescopes
* Cassegrain antenna, a type of parabolic antenna
* Cassegrain (crater), on the Moon
* a Belgian canned vegetables producer now part of Bonduelle S.A.
People :
* Guillaume ...
telescope.
The main-belt asteroid
48159 Saint-Véran was discovered at and named for the observatory and its hosting village.
Presumably, it was the first discovery made at the observatory on 16 April 2001, synchronous with
264476 Aepic.
List of discovered minor planets
The
Minor Planet Center
The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.
Function
...
credits the observatory with the discovery of the following
asteroids
An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere.
...
between 2001 and 2005:
See also
*
List of astronomical societies
A list of notable groups devoted to promoting astronomy research and education.
Africa
* African Astronomical Society
South Africa
*Astronomical Society of Southern Africa
Asia
China
* Chinese Astronomical Society
India
* Akash Mitra Mandal
*A ...
*
*
List of observatories
This is a list of astronomical observatories ordered by name, along with initial dates of operation (where an accurate date is available) and location. The list also includes a final year of operation for many observatories that are no longer in ...
References
External links
Observatory homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Observatoire de Saint-Veran
Amateur astronomy organizations
Astronomical observatories in France
Buildings and structures in Hautes-Alpes
*
Minor-planet discovering observatories
Paris Observatory