The La Plata Astronomical Observatory ( es, Observatorio Astronómico de La Plata) is an
observatory located in the city of
La Plata, capital of the
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
,
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
. Its
IAU code
This is a list of observatory codes (IAU codes or MPC codes) published by the Minor Planet Center. For a detailed description, ''see observations of small Solar System bodies
Observations of minor planets as well as comets and natural satellites ...
is
839
__NOTOC__
Year 839 ( DCCCXXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place Europe
* Prince Sicard of Benevento is assassinated by a conspiracy among the nobil ...
.
History
La Plata was a planned city, intended as the capital of the province after the city of
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
became the Argentina's Federal Capital. The observatory was the result of the 1872 establishment of the National Meteorological Bureau, enacted by President
Domingo Sarmiento
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (; born Domingo Faustino Fidel Valentín Sarmiento y Albarracín; 15 February 1811 – 11 September 1888) was an Argentine activist, intellectual, writer, statesman and the second President of Argentina. His writing s ...
on an initiative by U.S. astronomer
Benjamin Apthorp Gould
Benjamin Apthorp Gould (September 27, 1824 – November 26, 1896) was a pioneering American astronomer. He is noted for creating the ''Astronomical Journal'', discovering the Gould Belt, and for founding of the Argentine National Observatory and ...
(who lived in Argentina between 1870 and 1885). The construction of the Observatory was funded by a decree passed by La Plata's founder, Buenos Aires Province Governor
Dardo Rocha
Dardo Rocha (September 1, 1838 – September 6, 1921) was an Argentine naval officer, lawyer and politician best known as the founder of the city of La Plata and of the University of La Plata.
Life and times
Juan José Dardo Rocha was born t ...
, on 7 May 1881. In this decree the Engineering Department was ordered to set up plans and a budget for several public buildings, including an astronomical observatory.
Designed by the master planner of La Plata,
Pedro Benoit
Pedro Benoit (February 18, 1836 – April 4, 1897) was an Argentine architect, engineer, and urbanist best known for designing the layout of the city of La Plata.
Life and times
Pedro Benoit was born in Buenos Aires in 1836 to María Josefa ...
, ground was broken on the observatory in November 1883. A year earlier, the
Paris Observatory had sent astronomical instruments to the city of
Bragado, Buenos Aires, to observe a
transit of Venus
frameless, upright=0.5
A transit of Venus across the Sun takes place when the planet Venus passes directly between the Sun and a superior planet, becoming visible against (and hence obscuring a small portion of) the solar disk. During a tr ...
in front of the Sun, for which the location was particularly suitable, and which raised considerable interest in scientific circles.
The first director of the new institution was Francisco Beuf, a lieutenant of the
French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...
and director of the Naval Observatory of
Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
.
See also
*
List of astronomical 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 ...
*
Lists of telescopes
This is a list of lists of telescopes.
* List of astronomical interferometers at visible and infrared wavelengths
*List of astronomical observatories
*List of highest astronomical observatories
*List of large optical telescopes
* List of largest ...
References
External links
''Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas, Universidad de la Plata''(in Spanish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plata Astronomical Observatory, La
Astronomical observatories in Argentina
Buildings and structures in La Plata
Education in Buenos Aires Province
Infrastructure completed in 1883
Minor-planet discovering observatories
National University of La Plata
1883 establishments in Argentina