Mont Mégantic Observatory facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mont Mégantic Observatory |
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Dome of OMM's 1.6 m telescope
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| Organization | UdeM, and ULaval | ||||
| Code | 301 | ||||
| Location | Notre-Dame-des-Bois, Québec | ||||
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Coordinates
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45°27′21″N 71°09′09″W / 45.4558°N 71.1525°W
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| Established | 1978 | ||||
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The Mont Mégantic Observatory (also known as OMM) is a special place where scientists study space. It's like a giant eye that helps us look at stars, planets, and galaxies far away! This observatory is owned by two universities in Canada: the Université de Montréal and the Université Laval. It was built in 1978.
The observatory is located on top of Mont Mégantic in Québec. This mountain is the highest point in Eastern Canada that you can reach by car. The observatory is about 60 kilometres (37 mi) east of Sherbrooke and 190 kilometres (120 mi) east of Montreal. It has the second largest telescope in Eastern Canada.
Did you know an asteroid is named after this observatory? It's called 4843 Mégantic!
Contents
The Powerful Telescope at OMM
The main tool at Mont Mégantic Observatory is a very powerful telescope. It measures 1.6 metres (63 in) across! This type of telescope is called a Ritchey-Chrétien telescope. It's designed to give very clear images of objects in space.
Scientists use this telescope to do many things. They take pictures of distant stars and galaxies. They also use special tools for spectroscopy and polarimetry. Spectroscopy helps them figure out what stars are made of. Polarimetry helps them understand how light from space behaves. These studies are done using both visible light and infrared light.
Protecting the Night Sky from Light Pollution
Light pollution happens when too much artificial light from cities makes it hard to see stars. The Mont Mégantic Observatory is in a special area that works hard to keep the night sky dark. About a quarter of the light pollution comes from the nearby city of Sherbrooke.
To fight this, the area around the observatory became the world's first International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) Dark Sky preserve. This means that special rules are in place to control outdoor lighting. The preserve covers a huge area, about 5500 square kilometers (2123 square miles). This helps astronomers get clearer views of the universe. It also protects wildlife that needs darkness.
ASTROLab: A Fun Place to Learn About Space
ASTROLab is a cool astronomy center located in the Mont-Mégantic National Park. It's a great place for visitors to learn about space. Inside, you'll find interactive displays that tell the story of the universe, Earth, and life.
You can take guided tours of ASTROLab during the day. You can also visit the Mont Mégantic Observatory itself. ASTROLab also hosts special astronomy evenings. There's even an astronomy festival and a Perseid Festival. The Perseid Festival celebrates the annual Perseid meteor shower, which is amazing to watch!
Observing the 2024 Solar Eclipse
The Mont Mégantic Observatory was in a prime spot for a very special event. On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse passed right over the area. The observatory was very close to the center of the path where the sun was completely hidden by the moon. This made it an exciting place to be for this rare celestial show!
