Llano del Hato National Astronomical Observatory
Encyclopedia
The Llano del Hato National Astronomical Observatory (Observatorio Nacional de Llano del Hato) is an astronomical observatory
in Venezuela
, run by the Centro de Investigaciones de Astronomia
(CIDA). It is 3600 metres above sea level
and comprises four telescopes, each in their own cupola
or dome: a Schmidt camera
, a reflecting telescope
, a great refractor
, and a double astrograph
.
It is the main observatory
in Venezuela
. It is situated above the village of Llano del Hato close to Apartaderos in the Venezuelan Andes
, about 50 kilometres north-east of Merida City, Merida State.
This facility is the closest major optical observatory to the equator
lying at 8 degrees and 47.51 minutes north. It therefore has access to large parts of both the northern and southern skies. It benefits from very dark skies and its altitude of 3,600 metres (12,000 feet) above sea level means atmospheric turbulence is greatly reduced.
It comes under the auspices of CIDA (Centro de Investigaciones de Astronomía) which is the main astronomical research body in Venezuela.
CIDA conducts many projects in collaboration with other research bodies, academic institutions and international bodies. It also conducts valuable research in its own right and the observatory has an impressive record, including several important discoveries.
The facility has four large optical telescope
s, a Zeiss refractor, a large Zeiss reflector
and, for dedicated photographic applications, an Askania astrograph
and an Askania Schmidt camera
. These instruments were acquired by the Venezuelan government 1954 and installed at Llano del Hato in the early 1970s.
There is also a museum and exhibition centre where visitors can learn about the work of the observatory and CIDA as well as astronomy
in general.
Observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, run by the Centro de Investigaciones de Astronomia
Centro de Investigaciones de Astronomia
The Centro de Investigaciones de Astronomía is an institution in Venezuela, founded in honour of Francisco J. Duarte in 1975 for promoting observation, investigation, experimentation, theoretical work, and dissemination of research in the field of astronomy. It runs the Llano del Hato National...
(CIDA). It is 3600 metres above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
and comprises four telescopes, each in their own cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
or dome: a Schmidt camera
Schmidt camera
A Schmidt camera, also referred to as the Schmidt telescope, is a catadioptric astrophotographic telescope designed to provide wide fields of view with limited aberrations. Other similar designs are the Wright Camera and Lurie-Houghton telescope....
, a reflecting telescope
Reflecting telescope
A reflecting telescope is an optical telescope which uses a single or combination of curved mirrors that reflect light and form an image. The reflecting telescope was invented in the 17th century as an alternative to the refracting telescope which, at that time, was a design that suffered from...
, a great refractor
Great refractor
Great refractor refers to a large telescope with a lens, usually the largest refractor at an observatory with an equatorial mount. The preeminence and success of this style in observational astronomy was an era in telescope use in the 19th and early 20th century. Great refractors were large...
, and a double astrograph
Astrograph
An astrograph is a telescope designed for the sole purpose of astrophotography. Astrographs are usually used in wide field surveys of the night sky as well as detection of objects such as asteroids, meteors, and comets.-Design:...
.
It is the main observatory
Observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geology, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed...
in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. It is situated above the village of Llano del Hato close to Apartaderos in the Venezuelan Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
, about 50 kilometres north-east of Merida City, Merida State.
This facility is the closest major optical observatory to the equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
lying at 8 degrees and 47.51 minutes north. It therefore has access to large parts of both the northern and southern skies. It benefits from very dark skies and its altitude of 3,600 metres (12,000 feet) above sea level means atmospheric turbulence is greatly reduced.
It comes under the auspices of CIDA (Centro de Investigaciones de Astronomía) which is the main astronomical research body in Venezuela.
CIDA conducts many projects in collaboration with other research bodies, academic institutions and international bodies. It also conducts valuable research in its own right and the observatory has an impressive record, including several important discoveries.
The facility has four large optical telescope
Optical telescope
An optical telescope is a telescope which is used to gather and focus light mainly from the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum for directly viewing a magnified image for making a photograph, or collecting data through electronic image sensors....
s, a Zeiss refractor, a large Zeiss reflector
Reflecting telescope
A reflecting telescope is an optical telescope which uses a single or combination of curved mirrors that reflect light and form an image. The reflecting telescope was invented in the 17th century as an alternative to the refracting telescope which, at that time, was a design that suffered from...
and, for dedicated photographic applications, an Askania astrograph
Astrograph
An astrograph is a telescope designed for the sole purpose of astrophotography. Astrographs are usually used in wide field surveys of the night sky as well as detection of objects such as asteroids, meteors, and comets.-Design:...
and an Askania Schmidt camera
Schmidt camera
A Schmidt camera, also referred to as the Schmidt telescope, is a catadioptric astrophotographic telescope designed to provide wide fields of view with limited aberrations. Other similar designs are the Wright Camera and Lurie-Houghton telescope....
. These instruments were acquired by the Venezuelan government 1954 and installed at Llano del Hato in the early 1970s.
There is also a museum and exhibition centre where visitors can learn about the work of the observatory and CIDA as well as astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
in general.