An astronomical observatory at 2,877 meters on the summit of Pic du Midi de Bigorre in the French Pyrenees, begun by the Societe Ramond in 1878 and taken over by the French state in 1882. Observations there disproved the Martian-canal hypothesis in 1909, and in the 1960s Pierre and Janine Connes analyzed the atmospheres of Mars and Venus, work that influenced James Lovelock's early thinking on detecting life on other worlds; its main instrument today is the 2-meter Bernard Lyot Telescope, installed in 1980 as France's largest telescope.
Facts
Observatory Typeastronomical observatory 1 Location2,877 meters on the summit of Pic du Midi de Bigorre in the French Pyrenees 1 Measuresthe solar corona, using a coronagraph 1 Operating Principlethe 2-meter Bernard Lyot Telescope, installed in 1980 1 FAQs
Does the Pic du Midi Observatory study anything besides stars and planets?
Yes. Its research covers astrophysics, atmospheric sciences and geophysics.
Yes. The observatory's own site says its research covers three main areas: astrophysics, atmospheric sciences and geophysics. Atmospheric and earth science work therefore sits alongside the astronomy for which the site is best known.
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Sources
1. Wikipedia: Pic du Midi Observatory
Observatory section, sentence 1
The Pic du Midi Observatory is an astronomical observatory located at 2,877 meters on top of the Pic du Midi de Bigorre
Observatory section, location clause
located at 2,877 meters on top of the Pic du Midi de Bigorre in the French Pyrenees
Instruments section, coronagraph
The observatory also has a coronagraph, which is used to study the solar corona.
Bernard Lyot Telescope section
The 2-metre Bernard Lyot Telescope was placed at the observatory in 1980
View the Source2. Observatoire Midi-Pyrenees: About us
Observatoire Midi-PyreneesAbout usQuote, About us
Since 1873, men have been studying the stars at the Pic du Midi Observatory.
Pic du Midi de Bigorre (Wikipedia)
In Group: Optical Observatories of Europe, Article text: observatory and locationQuote, In Group: Optical Observatories of Europe, Article text: observatory and location
It is the site of the Pic du Midi Observatory. == Pic du Midi Observatory == The Pic du Midi Observatory (French: Observatoire du Pic du Midi) is an astronomical observatory located at 2,877 meters on top of the Pic du Midi de Bigorre in the French Pyrenees.
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