Pacific Northwest Regional Observatory
OrganizationAlliance for the Advancement of Science Through Astronomy
LocationHorse Heaven Hills, Eastern Washington
Coordinates46°00′15″N 118°53′30″W / 46.00417°N 118.89167°W / 46.00417; -118.89167
Altitude1,600 ft (490 m)
Weathersemi-arid
EstablishedNovember 1, 2012 (2012-11-01)
Websitepnro.org
Telescopes
Richmond J. Hoch telescope[1]Cassegrain optical
Pacific Northwest Regional Observatory is located in Earth
Pacific Northwest Regional Observatory
Location of Pacific Northwest Regional Observatory

The Pacific Northwest Regional Observatory is an astronomical observatory at the Wallula Gap in the Horse Heaven Hills, near the Columbia River in Southeast Washington. It is owned by Alliance for the Advancement of Science Through Astronomy. The main instrument, an 0.8 meter Cassegrain reflecting optical telescope, was formerly located at Rattlesnake Mountain above Richland, Washington, where it was installed in 1971 by Battelle,[2] dismantled in 2009,[3] and restored at Columbia Basin College in Richland c. 2010–2011. Construction of the observatory at Braden Research Farm, owned by Whitman College, broke ground in 2011, and the telescope mirror was placed there in November 2012.[4][5]

As of 2007, the main instrument, then at Rattlesnake Mountain, was "the largest, most powerful, optical research-grade telescope in Washington State".[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Observatory opens the universe to students". Whitman Magazine. Whitman College. March 2014.
  2. ↑ Kirby-Smith 1976, p. 161.
  3. ↑ "Rattlesnake Mountain Observatory dismantled". Associated Press. 14 July 2009 – via News From Indian Country (Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Reservation).
  4. ↑ Cary, Annette (August 5, 2011). "Ground broken for Tri-Cities observatory: Darker skies at Horse Heaven Hills make up for lack of elevation at new observatory". Tri-City Herald. Lewiston, Idaho – via Lewiston Tribune.
  5. ↑ "Rattlesnake Mountain telescope gets new home". Tri-City Herald. Retrieved 2013-01-06.
  6. ↑ "The observatory". Official website. Alliance for the Advancement of Science Through Astronomy. 31 January 2007. Archived from the original on May 19, 2008.

Sources

  • Kirby-Smith, Henry Tompkins (1976). U.S. observatories: a directory and travel guide. Van Nostrand Reinhold. ISBN 0442244509.


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