| Alternative names | François-Xavier Bagnoud Observatory  |
|---|---|
| Observatory code | 175 |
| Location | Saint-Luc, Canton of Valais, Switzerland |
| Coordinates | 46°13′42″N7°36′45″E / 46.22832°N 7.61263°E Coordinates: 46°13′42″N7°36′45″E / 46.22832°N 7.61263°E |
| Altitude | 2,200 m (7,200 ft) |
| Website | www |
  Location of Bagnoud Observatory | |
François-Xavier Bagnoud Observatory (Observatoire François-Xavier Bagnoud) is an astronomical observatory. It is a non-profit organisation [1] funded by Association François-Xavier Bagnoud. [2] It is located above the village of Saint-Luc, Switzerland, close to the top of the funicular, [3] at a height of 2,200 m (7,200 ft). [4]
Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It applies mathematics, physics, and chemistry in an effort to explain the origin of those objects and phenomena and their evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galaxies, and comets; the phenomena also includes supernova explosions, gamma ray bursts, quasars, blazars, pulsars, and cosmic microwave background radiation. More generally, all phenomena that originate outside Earth's atmosphere are within the purview of astronomy. A related but distinct subject is physical cosmology, which is the study of the Universe as a whole.
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. Historically, observatories were as simple as containing an astronomical sextant or Stonehenge.
Saint-Luc is a village in the district of Sierre in the Swiss canton of Valais. An independent municipality before, it merged on 1 January 2009 with neighboring Ayer, Chandolin, Grimentz, Saint Jean and Vissoie to form the municipality of Anniviers.
It has 60 cm (24 in) and 15 cm (5.9 in) telescopes, as well as a heliostat, [3] a weather station, [5] a planetarium [3] and a planet trail between the observatory and the funicular. [6]
A heliostat is a device that includes a mirror, usually a plane mirror, which turns so as to keep reflecting sunlight toward a predetermined target, compensating for the sun's apparent motions in the sky. The target may be a physical object, distant from the heliostat, or a direction in space. To do this, the reflective surface of the mirror is kept perpendicular to the bisector of the angle between the directions of the sun and the target as seen from the mirror. In almost every case, the target is stationary relative to the heliostat, so the light is reflected in a fixed direction. According to contemporary sources the heliostata, as it was called at first, was invented by Willem 's Gravesande (1688-1742). Other contenders are Giovanni Alfonso Borelli (1608-1679) and Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686-1736).
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for measuring atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include temperature, atmospheric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, and precipitation amounts. Wind measurements are taken with as few other obstructions as possible, while temperature and humidity measurements are kept free from direct solar radiation, or insolation. Manual observations are taken at least once daily, while automated measurements are taken at least once an hour. Weather conditions out at sea are taken by ships and buoys, which measure slightly different meteorological quantities such as sea surface temperature (SST), wave height, and wave period. Drifting weather buoys outnumber their moored versions by a significant amount.
