Dominion Astrophysical Observatory

Dominion Astrophysical Observatory
Map
Alternative namesObservatoire fédéral d'astrophysique
General information
Coordinates48°31′12.6″N 123°25′4.8″W / 48.520167°N 123.418000°W / 48.520167; -123.418000
Current tenantsNational Research Council
Opened1918
Design and construction
Architect(s)Edgar Lewis Horwood
Architecture firmDominion Architect of Canada
Website
NRC-DAO Website
Official nameDominion Astrophysical Observatory National Historic Site of Canada
Designated2008

The Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, located on Observatory Hill, in Saanich, British Columbia,[1] was completed in 1918 by the Canadian government. The Dominion architect responsible for the building was Edgar Lewis Horwood.[2] The main instrument is the 72-inch-aperture (1.83 m) Plaskett telescope, proposed and designed by John S. Plaskett in 1910 with the support of the International Union for Cooperation in Solar Research.

The observatory has been designated a national historic site of Canada, as it is a world-renowned facility where many discoveries about the nature of the Milky Way were made, and it was one of the world's main astrophysical research centres until the 1960s.[3]

  1. ^ BCGNIS entry "Observatory Hill"
  2. ^ "Edgar Lewis Horwood". Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada. Archived from the original on 2014-12-01.
  3. ^ Dominion Astrophysical Observatory. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 13 November 2011.