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MHO --- Madawaska Highlands Observatory- offers
the experience of infinity. The world-class tourist facility,
with a self-sustaining LEED AP Platinum Visitor Centre, will host
the most powerful telescope in Canada and largest dedicated visitors
telescopes in the world, two 1-meter telescopes, that will give
absolutely stunning views of the universe, literally one could
see billions of light years into space!
The One-Metre wide-field telescope will carry out world leading
research and important discoveries are expected from the technologically
very advanced and innovative telescope design.
The facility is designed to offer views through large telescopes
that are specifically deigned for the utmost visual experience
of the night sky.
Visitor Telescopes - for visual use only:
- 30" f/2.5 for star nights [several to be made available
as required]
- 40" f/3 (two planned) folded design for 5' eyepiece height
Science and Imaging Telescopes:
- 1.0 metre f/2.4 five square degrees field of view telescope
[25x full moons]
- 1.0 metre f/7 Ritcher-Chretien - dual Nasmyth foci
The setting in the spectacular Madawaska highlands of Ontario
offers an unparalleled vista in southern Canada; a natural sky
free of artificial light with a stunning view of the Milky Way
with its massive bulge covering half the southern sky and casts
a distinct shadow where some 10,000 stars are visible to the unaided
eyes.
The Wide-Field Science Telescope:
The facility will host the most powerful telescope in Canada,
constructed of carbon fiber and using the largest monolithic digital
camera in the world along with a host of advanced technologies,
materials, active optics and optimized topologies designed to
deliver the utmost performance from the telescope. The telescopes'
outstanding feature is a monolithic highly corrected extremely
large field-of-view of 5 square degrees - 25X that of the full
moon! This opens up a large range of science possibilities including
discovering new planets, even possibly Earth like planets and
becoming a very valuable tool for astronomers in Canada and the
world. The Madawaska Highlands observatory will be the only major
observatory in Canada with valuable telescope time open to the
general public, including schools, teachers, students, instructors,
amateur astronomers and the like.
The
Visitor Centre:
The facility will be equipped with an 1000 square metres building
with displays and exhibits on astronomy, cosmology, the technology
behind the MHO and research being conducted at the observatory.
The facility will have large LED backlit displays of spectacular
images produced by the Madawaska Highlands Observatory and a large
3,840 x 2,160 display with 'live' images from the telescope.
The facility will host a display on Algonquin star lore, many
of their legends and stories are written into the stars. The Algonquin
culture has a deep connection with the night sky and the stars
play an important role in their culture.
The Visitor Centre will have a boutique, host the control room
form the Madawaska Highlands Observatory, offices, washrooms and
astronomer's quarters. An HD theater with seating capacity of
140 will have invited astronomers speak on the latest research
conducted at the observatory and the latest developments in astronomy
and their own research.
Large telescopes will be available to visitors to view the night
sky including 40" telescopes, the largest dedicated to visitors
in the world.
Guided tours of the Visitor Centre, visitor observatories and
the Madawaska Highlands Observatory telescope will be offered to guest, the facility will
be open year round.
An amphitheater for twilight and talks and 'star nights' from
April to October where visitors will be invited to look through
supplied 30" compact telescopes and enjoy the spectacular
starry backdrop with interpreters.
The site has sufficient space to host a very large summer star
festival. Where potentially a couple of thousand people could
attend, the star festival would have amenities to make it the
most desirable star gathering in the USA and Canada with a night
sky to match. There will an area set aside on the edge of the
hill for 'astronomers camping' with a spectacular view of the
river valley 150m below. Hot showers will be available in the
Visitors Centre and large 20" telescopes will available for
rent to campers.
This area in the Madawaska Highlands is within easy reach of
Ottawa (100 minutes) and the GTA and Montreal (3.5 hours). Indeed
the site is within 5 hours reach of over 20 million people, including
50% of the Canadian population and is the farthest point in Southern
Canada with natural sky untouched with artificial light!
The Madawaska Highlands Observatory is offering an extraordinary opportunity
for interested parties to have a direct participation in the venture.
For more information see here.
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