Observatory History Museum in Winter Night
Night Scape Photograph・
Under a clear winter night sky, the constellations Orion and Taurus confront each other. Below that, you can see the big round shadow of “the 65-cm Telescope Dome.” The shadow looks as if the dome is crouching down. The 65-cm Refractor Telescope sits inside the copper-laminated wooden dome. The telescope was engaged in research observations such as position measurements of celestial bodies from 1929, when it was built, until it got dismissioned in 1998. Now, the telescope and the building are preserved for display as a symbol of Mitaka Campus. Even on a wonderful night like this, the dome doesn’t open and the telescope is not used. It continues hibernating without waking up. During the daytime, the dome is open to the public as the “Observatory History Museum.” You can see it and imagine how it was in the past.
Jupiter Moves through the Constellations Every Year
The bright star shining just above the dome is Jupiter. On the left side of Jupiter, you can find the 1st magnitude star Aldebaran and the Hyades star cluster characterized by a V shaped pattern of stars. The Pleiades star cluster can be found among the tree branches on the right. When this photo was taken in the winter of 2013, Jupiter was moving through the constellation Taurus. And, when the 65-cm Refractor Telescope retired in 1998, Jupiter was in the constellation Aquarius. Jupiter, which makes one revolution in about 12 years, has crosses the constellation Taurus twice since then and is about to welcome the spring of 2017 in the constellation Virgo.
Text by: Seiichiro Naito (Public Relations Center, NAOJ)
Translation by: Hiroko Tsuzuki and Ramsey Lundock (Public Relations Center, NAOJ)
Image Data
| Date | February 4, 2013 |
|---|---|
| Photographer | Yutaka Iijima |
| Credit | National Astronomical Observatory of Japan |
| Terms of Use | This image can be used without permission for research presentations, conferences, and school classes. In other cases, it cannot be used without prior permission. If you would like to use it, please fill out an application. In the case of commercial use, a photograph usage fee might need to be negotiated with the photographer, Mr. Yutaka Iijima. |
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