Astronomical Observatory

Submitted by admin on Thu, 2006-12-07 14:12.


The Astronomical Observatory of Trieste, originally the Nautical School of Trieste – founded by Austrian Empress Maria Theresa in 1753 – is one of the main centres for astronomy in Italy. Its two headquarters are Castle Basevi and Villa Bazzoni, both lying on San Vito hill..

The observation station is at Basovizza, on the Carso plateau, where a historical exhibition and a dome are also located. Research fields at the Observatory range from the study of the sun, the Solar System, stars and the Milky Way to the study of distant galaxies and cosmology..

In 2001 researchers of the Observatory obtained the first measurement of 238U outside the Solar System, which made it possible to estimate the age of the Universe with an atomic clock and allowed the first estimate of fossil radiation temperature in remote epochs..

The radioactivity of the sun is recorded daily at the observation station of Basovizza, and astronomical observations are carried out at the Galileo National Telescope as well as at ESO (European Southern Observatory) in Chile, where the VLT (Very Large Telescope) is now at work..

The technology team of the Observatory participated in the design and development of the focal instruments of these telescopes, and they are now working on the ESA Planck space project, which will be launched in 2007 to obtain the fundamental cosmological parameters of the Universe.

 




 

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