Molėtai Astronomical Observatory
![]() | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Organization | Vilnius University Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Location | Kulionys, Lithuania | ||||||
Coordinates | 55°18′57.5″N 25°33′48″E / 55.315972°N 25.56333°ECoordinates: 55°18′57.5″N 25°33′48″E / 55.315972°N 25.56333°E | ||||||
Altitude | 200 meters (656 feet) | ||||||
Website | mao | ||||||
Telescopes | |||||||
| |||||||
The Molėtai Astronomical Observatory (MAO; Molėtų astronomijos observatorija in Lithuanian) is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Vilnius University Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy. It is located on the Kaldiniai Hill next to Kulionys, Lithuania, 10 km from the town of Molėtai.
History
The old astronomical observatory of Vilnius University, opened in 1753, and the new University observatory near Vingis Park, built in 1921, gradually appeared inside the city of Vilnius where conditions turned out to be unsatisfactory for astronomical observations. In 1969, a new observatory was started[1] in the Molėtai district, about 70 km north of Vilnius. It is built on the Kaldiniai Hill just near the small village of Kulionys, about 10 km from the town of Molėtai. In the fall of 1969, the first 25 cm diameter telescope of the Molėtai Astronomical Observatory (MAO) was mounted. Later on, it was placed to the 35/51 cm Maksutov telescope. In 1974 and 1991, the reflecting telescopes of 63 cm and 165 cm diameters were put into operation.
Equipment
MAO currently has three research telescopes:
- 35 cm Maksutov telescope (f/3.5), which replaced MAO's first 25 cm telescope in 1975,
- 63 cm Cassegrain telescope,
- 165 cm Ritchey–Chrétien telescope, which MAO claims is the largest in Northern Europe (excluding Britain).
See also
References
- ^ "Lietuvos astronomijos istorija". Retrieved 22 Sep 2013.
External links
- Articles needing additional references from August 2013
- All articles needing additional references
- Articles lacking reliable references from August 2013
- All articles lacking reliable references
- Articles with multiple maintenance issues
- Articles with short description
- Coordinates not on Wikidata
- Articles using Infobox observatory using locally defined parameters
- AC with 0 elements
- Astronomical observatories built in the Soviet Union
- Astronomical observatories in Lithuania
- Buildings and structures in Utena County
- Discoveries by the Molėtai Astronomical Observatory
- Minor-planet discovering observatories
- Buildings and structures of Vilnius University
- All stub articles
- Astronomical observatory stubs
- Lithuania stubs