Grange Observatory
The Grange Observatory lies atop a private house in Bussoleno (50 km W
from Turin, Italy), in Susa Valley near the French border; Grange comes from the
name of the town's suburb.
The observatory's roll-off roof opens in two parts
and covers a 3 m by 3 m room; the telescope is a 0.3 m Newton-Cassegrain f/4 -
f/31 (focal lenghts respectively of 1.2 m and 9.3 m) guided by a refractor � 80
mm f/11 with an illuminated eyepiece adjustable within 1� from the scope axis.
The main instrument is permanently mounted on a concrete pillar and is
independent from the room's floor; the observing site can be reached via a
foldable ladder from a room devoted to laboratory / library.
The telescope
has a CCD camera connected to a 486 DX2 computer with CD-ROM drive, this one
being useful for having a quick access to huge star catalogues and sky surveys
such as GSC-ACT, Tycho and USNO A2.0: in fact, the field given by the cameras is
barely 22'x22' and the faintest stars recorded are about magnitude 20 (15 magn.
is reached with 1 minute exposure).
The main research activity is astrometry and
Grange Obs. is one of the observatories appointed by I. A. U.'s Commission 20 which send their
measures via modem to the Central Bureau for
Astronomical Telegrams/Minor Planet Center, located at Smithsonian
Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA (U.S.A.).
Grange Obs. is also one of
the observing sites of Gruppo Italiano
Astrometristi, the Italian Astrometry Group, which coordinates all the
astrometric activity done in Italy by amateur astronomers, and is a proud member
of Spaceguard
Foundation.
Grange Obs. has also a Service page in which the latest
observations and the services offered are listed!
Technical description:
- OBSERVATORY DATA
- Minor Planet
Center code = 476
- Latitude= 45� 08' 31" N
- Longitude= 7� 08' 29" E
- Height= 470 m a.s.l.
- CCD CAMERAS
- Starlight Xpress
SXL8(frame transfer Philips FT-12 chip, 512x512, 16 bit, cooled at -30�C)
- HOW TO CONTACT GRANGE OBSERVATORY
- E-mail: [email protected]
- Phone/FAX: +39 0122 640797 (ask for the line before sending
faxes)
- POSTAL ADDRESS: Grange Observatory - Via M.d'Azeglio 34 - 10053
BUSSOLENO (TO) - ITALY
Go to the AAS
homepage, the local amateur association (in Italian).
Return to Grange Obs. homepage.