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Announcements - Long a history-maker, now an historic site
July 28, 2010
On a 230-metre mountain just north of Victoria, the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory (DAO)’s 1.8-metre reflecting telescope has probed the night skies for 92 years. It’s apt now that Parks Canada should designate the observatory as a national historic site to recognize its importance to Canadian astronomy’s development.
“The DAO and its early staff helped bring Canadian astronomy to an extremely high level of international regard,” says its director, Dr. Jim Hesser. He adds that the Parks Canada designation allows NRC to maintain the Observatory as a working scientific instrument while respecting its historic architecture.
According to Dr. Hesser, the Observatory building’s design may still say “1918” to casual eyes, but nearly a century of accumulated upgrades make the telescope 10,000 times more sensitive than it was when new — and thus capable of contributing to 21st century astronomical research.
For more information, please see the full news release.
