Pine Mountain Observatory facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pine Mountain Observatory |
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Telescope domes at Pine Mountain
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| Organization | University of Oregon | ||||||||
| Location | near Bend, Oregon | ||||||||
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Coordinates
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43°47′29″N 120°56′27″W / 43.7915°N 120.9408°W
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| Altitude | 1,920 meters (6,300 ft) | ||||||||
| Established | 1967 | ||||||||
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Pine Mountain Observatory (PMO) is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by University of Oregon Physics Department. It is located 26 miles (42 km) southeast of Bend, Oregon (USA) in the Deschutes National Forest on top of Pine Mountain. The site was discovered by professors Russ Donnelly and E.G. Ebbinghausen in 1965 and has been in operation since 1967.
PMO's mission includes a strong public education aspect. Programs for high-school students have not only include observation, but also analysis of data and preparation of a paper for publication. PMO has developed software that enables K-12 teachers to perform observations remotely and process the data for classroom use
As well as public education, the observatory hosts professional projects such as research on white dwarf stars and examining the large-scale structure of galaxies.
Telescopes
- A 0.82 m (32 in) Cassegrain reflector built in 1970 by Sigma Research has a 1024 x 1024 pixel thinned, rear illuminated, blue-sensitive CCD camera with a field size of approximately 36 arcminutes. It is mounted at the prime focus, which prevents direct observations.
- A 0.6 m (24 in) Cassegrain reflector was the first telescope installed at the site in 1967.
- A 0.38 m (15 in) Cassegrain reflector was used by Donnelly and Ebbinghausen before PMO was founded, and was later installed at the site. As of 2007 a project was under way, in collaboration with Portland State University, to replace the historic instrument with a remotely controlled 0.36 m (14 in) telescope for astronomical imaging.
- A 0.36 m (14 in) Meade Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope was installed in 2015 and was dubbed the "Robbins" after Kenneth C. Robins whose contributions made the project possible. The telescope is operable from the University of Oregon campus in Eugene. It is currently be used for research by undergraduate students at the University.
Research
The Robbins and the 0.6 m (24 in) are both being used for research.
Outreach
Pine Mountain Observatory is open to the public every weekend from Memorial Day till the last weekend of September.
