 The Nice Observatory | |||
| Alternative names | 020 NI | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Named after | City ofNice | ||
| Organization | Observatory of the Côte d'Azur | ||
| Observatory code | 020 | ||
| Location | Mont Gros,Nice,Alpes-Maritimes,France | ||
| Coordinates | 43°43′33″N07°18′03″E / 43.72583°N 7.30083°E /43.72583; 7.30083 | ||
| Altitude | 372 m (1,220 ft) | ||
| Weather | Mediterranean climate | ||
| Established | 1878 | ||
| Website | www.oca.eu | ||
| Architect | Charles Garnier | ||
| Telescopes | |||
| |||
  Location of Nice Observatory | |||
 | |||
 Related media on Commons | |||
TheNice Observatory (French:Observatoire de Nice) is anastronomical observatory located inNice,France on the summit of Mount Gros. Theobservatory was founded in 1879, by the bankerRaphaël Bischoffsheim. The architect wasCharles Garnier, andGustave Eiffel designed the maindome.
In 1886 the largest refracting (i.e., with an objective lens rather than a mirror) telescope in the World made its debut at Nice Observatory, theGrand Lunette.[1]
The 77 cm (30 in)refractor telescope[2] made by Henry and Gautier became operational around 1886–1887,[2][3]was the largest in a privately funded observatory, and the first at such high altitude (325 m or 1,066 ft above sea level). It was slightly bigger in aperture, several metres longer, and located at a higher altitude than the new (1885) 76 cm (30 in) atPulkovo observatory in theRussian Empire, and the 68 cm (27 in) atVienna Observatory (completed early 1880s).[2]In the records for the largest refracting telescopes, all three were outperformed by the 91 cm (36 in) refractor installed at theLick Observatory at 1,283 m altitude in 1889.
The first studies for the construction of the observatory began in 1878.Raphaël Bischoffsheim, a banker passionate about science and astronomy, purchased the summit of Mont-Gros to establish an observatory. He enlisted his friendCharles Garnier to lead the architectural project. Garnier, drawing on his background in botany, designed a beautiful landscaped environment. The site consists of 18 pavilions, 13 of which were designed by Charles Garnier. Among the buildings are the large equatorial, the small equatorial housing a 50 cm diameterequatorial instrument that enabled astronomerAuguste Charlois to discover 140 minor planets, the bent equatorial, the large meridian with its two sloped, zenith-opening roofs, and the central pavilion housing a library and researchers' offices. All of these buildings are nestled among the botanical paths of the garden and an olive grove with 250 trees purchased by Garnier.
In 1986, the Nice Observatory merged with the Center for Research in Geodynamics and Astrometry (CERGA) to form the Observatory of the Alpes-Maritimes, which became theObservatory of the Côte d'Azur in 1988.[4]
Since 1988, the observatory site has been listed in theZNIEFF (Natural Zone of Ecological, Faunistic, and Floristic Interest) inventory of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. The entire site is part of the ZNIEFF titled "Mont-Gros - Eze - Tête de Chien," which spans ten municipalities and covers an area of 2,907 hectares. On July 6, 1992, the site was partially classified as ahistoric monument, and on October 24, 1994, the buildings were fully classified, including the various telescopes. On March 1, 2001, the observatory received the "20th Century Heritage" label.[5]
The observatory has had the following directors:
The following notable figures are also associated with its history:
The main instrument of the Nice Observatory is the refracting telescope housed in the Grand Equatorial. It is 18 meters long, with a 76 cm diameter lens. It became operational for the first time in 1888 and was, at the time, the largest refracting telescope in the world. It was later surpassed by the telescope at the Lick Observatory, which has a 91 cm diameter lens.
The Nice Observatory was featured in the 1999 filmSimon Sez. It was also the setting for the title scene in the 2014Woody Allen flickMagic in the Moonlight.
On May 7, 2021, French artist French79 recorded a concert there, which was broadcast on Arte Concert.[11]
In 2018, the exteriors in front of the Great Dome and the Grand Meridian served as the backdrop forAngèle's music video "La Thune".[12]
In 2022, the bandHyphen Hyphen, originally from Nice, filmed the music video for "Too Young" at the observatory.[13]
![The 77-centimetre (30 in) refractor at Nice Observatory, when built the world's largest, longest, and highest refracting telescope [2]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aGrande_Lunette_Nice.jpg)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
