Leoncito Astronomical Complex
Encyclopedia
| Leoncito Astronomical Complex | |
|---|---|
| Organization | |
| Location | San Juan Province, Argentina Argentina Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires... |
| Coordinates | 31°47′55"S 69°17′46"W |
| Altitude | 8,370 feet (2552 m) |
| Webpage | http://www.casleo.gov.ar/ |
| Telescopes | |
| Jorge Sahade Telescope | 2.15-meter Ritchey-Chretien Reflector Reflector -Science:* Reflector, a device that causes reflection * Reflector , used to control lighting contrast* Reflecting telescope* Reflector , the part of an antenna that reflects radio waves... |
| Submillimeter Solar Telescope | |
The Leoncito Astronomical Complex (in Spanish, Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito) is an astronomical
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
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 the San Juan Province of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. The Leoncito Astronomical Complex is one of two observatories located within El Leoncito National Park
El Leoncito National Park
The El Leoncito National Park is a national park of Argentina, located at the Calingasta Department, in the southwest of the province of San Juan. It has an area of 760 km²...
, located in an area of the country which rarely sees cloud cover. The other facility is the Carlos U. Cesco Astronomical Station of the Félix Aguilar Observatory
Félix Aguilar Observatory
Félix Aguilar Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Argentina. It has IAU observatory code 808, and was known as "El Leoncito Observatory" until 1990 , when it became Estación Astronómica Carlos Ulrico Cesco , in honour of Dr. Cesco's many contributions to the founding and operation of the...
. The obervatory was established in 1983 by an agreement between several universities and the Argentine government. Operation began in 1987 and the complex is now the Argentine national facility for ground-based astronomical observations.