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 LCO node at Cerro Tololo, Chile. | |
| Founded | September 2005 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Wayne Rosing |
| Type | Not-for-profit organization, 501(c)(3) |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 34°25′58″N 119°51′47″W / 34.4327°N 119.8630°W |
Key people | Lars Bildsten (BoD), Lisa Storrie-Lombardi (President & Observatory Director), Dorothy Largay (BoD), Wayne Rosing (BoD), Michael Skrutskie (BoD) |
| Website | www.lco.global |
Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) is a network of astronomical observatories run by a non-profit private operating foundation directed by the technologist Wayne Rosing. Its offices are in Goleta, California. The telescopes are located at both northern and southern hemisphere sites distributed in longitude around the Earth. For some astronomical objects, the longitudinal spacing of telescopes allows continuous observations over 24 hours or longer. The operating network currently consists of two 2 meter telescopes, nine 1 meter telescopes, and seven 40 cm telescopes, placed at six astronomical observatories. The network operates as a single, integrated, observing facility, using a software scheduler that continuously optimizes the planned observing schedule of each individual telescope.