Mirasteilas Observatory

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Sternwarte Mirasteilas
Falera Mirasteilas.jpg
OrganizationAstronomische Gesellschaft Graubünden AGG
Observatory code B67   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Location Falera, Grisons, Switzerland
Coordinates 46°48′15.55″N9°13′27″E / 46.8043194°N 9.22417°E / 46.8043194; 9.22417
Altitude1,288 m (4,226 ft)
Established2006
Website www.sternwarte-mirasteilas.ch
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Location of Sternwarte Mirasteilas
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The Mirasteilas Observatory (German : Sternwarte Mirasteilas; Romansh for "stargazer") is an astronomical observatory in Falera in the canton of Grisons in Switzerland. With its 90-centimeter telescope it is the largest publicly accessible observatory in Switzerland. [1]

Contents

History

In 2001, the Portuguese-born local community member José De Queiroz, innkeeper in Falera and a member of the Astronomical Society of the Grisons (Graubünden), organized the first astronomy meeting in Falera. Owing to its easy accessibility, its elevated position on a terrace with a broad sky to the west, south, and east and low light pollution, the place offers ideal conditions for observing celestial bodies.

During the next telescope meeting in Falera in 2002 the question was raised whether an observatory could be created here. The municipal council recognized that the construction of an observatory could be a big gain for the village, since no similar investment had been made in the Grisons by that time. Members of the municipal council and the Astronomical Society of the Grisons then visited several observatories in eastern Switzerland to learn about observatories. A suitable location was then found a few minutes outside the village by the ski slope.

On 11 September 2002, a working group was created and the architectural firm of Schneider & Cathomas from Falera took over the planning of the observatory. On 5 December 2005 the town meeting granted a loan of 690,000 Swiss Francs for the construction of the observatory. In addition to the observatory a small restaurant for visitors was to be built for the visitors of the ski slope. A foundation was established with the municipality Falera, the AAG, and Flims-Laax-Falera tourism as members. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on 9 May 2006 and the restaurant was opened in winter 2006/2007. Since the delivery of the large telescope was slightly delayed, the observatory was put into operation only on 22 June 2007. [2]

Building

Mirasteilas Mirasteilas1.jpg
Mirasteilas

The core of the observatory is the observation deck on the first floor with the observation instruments. The roof can be retracted on two tracks so that instruments and the audience get a clear view of the sky. To prevent vibration transmission to the telescope, a separate foundation was created for it. Integrated in the wheelchair-accessible buildings are a technology room, a small restaurant and toilet facilities for the ski slope visitors during the day and for the observatory visitors in the evening. The restaurant space is also used for introduction to the observatory and bad weather programs as an alternative to star gazing.

Instruments

Jose De Queiroz at the 90 cm-Cassegrain-Telescope Mirasteilas Jose.jpg
José De Queiroz at the 90 cm-Cassegrain-Telescope
Takahashi-Telescope Mirasteilas Takahashi.jpg
Takahashi-Telescope

The main instrument is a Cassegrain reflector with Nasmyth focus. It has a mirror diameter of 90 cm (35 in) and 2.7 m (9 ft) focal length, and is one of the largest publicly accessible telescopes in Europe. With it up to 1000-fold magnification can be reached. The instrument is fully computer-controlled and can be automatically aligned to any object in the sky. The ocular opening is on the side of the device in the declination axis at 145 cm (57 in) viewing height. Data: 900 mm clear aperture, 9000 mm focal width, with a 5940 mm reducer.

The second instrument is a Takahashi type FS-15, which is a classic refracting telescope. The instrument is particularly suitable for planetary observations. Data: 152 mm clear aperture and 1216 mm focal width.

To view nebulae, galaxies and star clusters in a large field of view, a binocular is available which is purpose-built for astronomical purposes. Specifications: 25x100 millimeters on fork support, optics: 100 mm opening. For astrophotography an astrograph on a separate socket is available.

Management

The observatory is operated by the Astronomical Society of Graubünden AGG. Around 30 trained demonstrators are available to on an alternating schedule. Public tours take place every Friday and Saturday or by appointment.

Observations

Entry door with IAU code Mirasteilas Tur.jpg
Entry door with IAU code

Thanks to its high quality instruments Mirasteilas can produce scientific work. The observatory of Falera, together with the ones of Winterthur, Carona and Ependes is one of the stations that observe asteroids, comets and satellites and measure their pathways. The data are sent to the Minor Planet Center of the International Astronomical Union at Harvard University and from there to NASA. There, they are available for further scientific research available. The individual measurements allow to detect changes in the pathways of known asteroids or to calculate the orbits of newly discovered objects, discovering thereby possible dangers at an early stage.

Minor planet "Falera"

The asteroid "Falera" was discovered on 21 November 2009 by the founder of the observatory José de Queiroz. The object has a diameter of about 3 kilometers; it orbits the Sun at an average distance of about 471 million kilometers and requires 5 years and 6 months for a complete orbit. At the time of its discovery, the asteroid was about 315 million kilometers from the Earth. It was 16,000 times less bright than stars in the sky that are visible to the naked eye.

On behalf of the International Astronomical Union, the asteroid was named "Falera" and given the minor-planet number (233943). With the naming, the work of the Observatory Mirasteilas is recognized, which deals with the discovery and orbit determination of unknown minor planets since 2008. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 27 May 2010 ( M.P.C. 70412). [3] [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lowell Observatory Near-Earth-Object Search</span> 1993–2008 research project

Lowell Observatory Near-Earth-Object Search (LONEOS) was a project designed to discover asteroids and comets that orbit near the Earth. The project, funded by NASA, was directed by astronomer Ted Bowell of Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. The LONEOS project began in 1993 and ran until the end of February 2008.

Wolf Bickel is a German amateur astronomer and a prolific discoverer of asteroids, observing at his private Bergisch Gladbach Observatory, Germany. He is the most successful German discoverer of minor planets.

Pierre Antonini is a retired French mathematics professor and amateur astronomer who has discovered several minor planets and two supernovae at his private Observatoire de Bédoin located at Bédoin, southeastern France. For many of his discoveries he used a 16-cm telescope or a 30-cm telescope.

11264 Claudiomaccone (provisional designation 1979 UC4) is a stony background asteroid and binary system from the middle regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered 16 October 1979, by Nikolai Chernykh at Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnyj, on the Crimean peninsula. It was named after the Italian astronomer Claudio Maccone.

James Whitney Young is an American astronomer who worked in the field of asteroid research. After nearly 47 years with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at their Table Mountain Facility, Young retired July 16, 2009.

1994 Shane, provisional designation 1961 TE, is a dark Adeonian asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt, approximately 25 kilometers in diameter.

3673 Levy, provisional designation 1985 QS, is a binary Flora asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 22 August 1985, by American astronomer Edward Bowell at Lowell's Anderson Mesa Station near Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. The asteroid was named after Canadian astronomer David H. Levy.

4007 Euryalos is a larger Jupiter trojan from the Greek camp, approximately 48 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 19 September 1973, by Dutch astronomers Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden, and Tom Gehrels at Palomar Observatory in California. The likely spherical Jovian asteroid is the principal body of the proposed Euryalos family and has a rotation period of 6.4 hours. It was named after the warrior Euryalus from Greek mythology.

7816 Hanoi, provisional designation 1987 YA, is an eccentric stony asteroid and Mars-crosser from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 18 December 1987, by Japanese astronomer Masahiro Koishikawa at the Ayashi Station of the Sendai Astronomical Observatory, Japan, and later named after the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.

11132 Horne is a Hygiean asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 13 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 17 November 1996, by American amateur astronomer Dennis di Cicco at his Sudbury Observatory in Massachusetts, United States. The asteroid was named for Johnny Horne, photo editor of The Fayetteville Observer.

2726 Kotelnikov, provisional designation 1979 SE9, is a stony Koronian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 22 September 1979, by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Chernykh at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnij on the Crimean peninsula. The S-type asteroid has a rotation period of 4.91 hours and is a suspected binary system. The asteroid was named for Soviet scientist and pioneer in radar astronomy, Vladimir Kotelnikov.

2577 Litva, provisional designation 1975 EE3, is a Hungarian-type Mars-crosser and rare trinary asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4 kilometers in diameter.

1936 Lugano, provisional designation 1973 WD, is a carbonaceous Adeonian asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 26 kilometers in diameter.

15415 Rika, provisional designation 1998 CA1, is a bright background asteroid from the Florian region of the inner asteroid belt, approximately 3 kilometers (2 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 4 February 1998, by Japanese astronomer Akimasa Nakamura at the Kuma Kogen Astronomical Observatory in southern Japan. The presumed S-type asteroid has a rotation period of 6.36 hours and possibly an elongated shape. It was named after Rika Akana, a character in the Japanese film and later television adapted drama Tokyo Love Story.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">José De Queiroz</span> Portuguese-born Swiss amateur astronomer

José De Queiroz is a Portuguese-born, Swiss amateur astronomer and discoverer of minor planets, as well as a restaurant manager in Falera in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.

6250 Saekohayashi, provisional designation 1991 VX1, is a bright Hungaria asteroid and relatively slow rotator from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3.7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 2 November 1991, by American astronomer Eleanor Helin at Palomar Observatory in California, and later named after Japanese astronomer Saeko Hayashi.

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References

  1. Astronomy Graubünden
  2. ’Graubünden Exclusiv’, Edition Winter 2009
  3. "233943 Falera (2009 WU24)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  4. "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 17 December 2019.