European Antennas at ALMA's Operations Support Facility

The (NAOJ) is an astronomical research organisation comprising several facilities 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 n ...

, as well as an observatory in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

and

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

. It was established in 1988 as an amalgamation of three existing research organizations - the Tokyo Astronomical Observatory of the University of Tokyo, 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 the seventh Imperial University in Japan, one of the first five Designated National University and selected as a Top Type university of ...

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

Facilities

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan Entrance

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

;Mitaka Campus ( Mitaka, Tokyo. ) :The Headquarters, Astronomy Data Center, Advanced Technology Center, Public Relations Center :Solar Flare Telescope, Sunspot Telescope,

TAMA 300 TAMA 300 is a gravitational wave detector located at the Mitaka campus of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. It is a project of the gravitational wave studies group at the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research (ICRR) of the University of ...

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 auto ...

:Historical instruments: Solar Tower Telescope, 65cm refractor dome, 20cm refractor dome ;Nobeyama Radio Observatory (

Minamimaki, Nagano is a village located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the village had an estimated population of 2924 in 1091 households, and a population density of 22 persons per km². The total area of the village is . Geography Minamimaki is located in ...

, ) :45m Millimeter Radio Telescope, Nobeyama Radio Polarimeter :Decommissioned instruments: Nobeyama Millimeter Array, Nobeyama Radio Heliograph ;Mizusawa VLBI Observatory ( Ōshū, Iwate. ) :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 The Kamioka Gravitational Wave Detector (KAGRA), is a large interferometer designed to detect gravitational waves predicted by the general theory of relativity. KAGRA is a Michelson interferometer that is isolated from external disturbances: its m ...

( Hida,

Gifu is a 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. During the Sengoku p ...

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

) :

Subaru ( or ; ) is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Subaru Corporation (formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries), the twenty-first largest automaker by production worldwide in 2017. Subaru cars are ...

8m telescope (

Mauna Kea Mauna Kea ( or ; ; abbreviation for ''Mauna a Wākea''); is a dormant volcano on the island of Hawaii. Its peak is above sea level, making it the highest point in the state of Hawaii and second-highest peak of an island on Earth. The peak ...

). ) :Hilo Base Facility (

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

. ) ;Chile Observatory ( Atacama Desert,

) : Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array :

Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment The Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment (ASTE) is a 10-meter-diameter antenna built by Mitsubishi Electric as a preprototype for ALMA. The ASTE was deployed to its site on Pampa La Bola, near Cerro Chajnantor and the Llano de Chajnantor O ...

(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 capital city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The city was founded on June 1, 1889. , the city has an estimated population of 720,841 and a population density of 910 persons per km2. The total area is . The city is ...

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

Tokyo Institute of Technology is a national research university located in Greater Tokyo Area, Japan. Tokyo Tech is the largest institution for higher education in Japan dedicated to science and technology, one of first five Designated National University and selected as ...

. :: 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,

ASTE Aste or ASTE may refer to: * Aste (rapper) (born 1985), Finnish rapper * Aste, Estonia, a borough in Kaarma Parish, Saare County, Estonia * Aste village, Estonia, A village in Kaarma Parish, Saare County, Estonia * Aste, India, a village in Belg ...

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

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

* 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

Facilities

NINS

Projects with NAOJ involvement

See also

References

External links