About the Moletai Observatory |
| Contacts info | |
| Moletu AO Moletai a/d Nr. 8 LT 4150 Lithuania |
Coordinates: longitude: E 25 deg 33' 48.0" latitude: N 55 deg 18' 57.5" altitude: 200 m |
| Tel: +370 383 45 444 e-mail:mao@astro.lt www:http://www.astro.lt/mao |
Head: Grazina Tautvaisiene e-mail: taut@itpa.lt |
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Astronomical observations require dark and clear sky. The old Astronomical observatory of Vilnius University, opened in 1753, and the new University observatory near the Vingis Park, built in 1921, gradually appeared inside the Vilnius city with no conditions for astronomical observations. In 1969 a new observatory was started in the Moletai district, about 70 km north of Vilnius. It is built on the Kaldiniai hill just near a small village of Kulionys, about 10 km from a town of Moletai. In the fall of 1969 the first 25 cm diameter telescope of the Moletai Astronomical Observatory (hereafter MAO) was mounted. Later on, it was placed to the 35/51 cm Maksutov telescope. In 1974 and 1991 the reflecting telescopes of 63 cm and 165 cm diameters were put into operation. Two photoelectric photometers and a Coravel-type radial velocity spectrometer are available.
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Some pictures |
The observatory belongs to the Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy (hereafter ITPA). It is the main observing place
for the
professional astronomers, students and postgraduate students from ITPA,
Vilnius University and Vilnius Pedagogical University perform. Stellar
and galactic astronomy are the main fields of scientifical research of
Lithuanian astronomers. In the sixties, they developed a new
seven-color photometric system for optimum classification of stars of
all spectral types in the presence of interstellar reddening. This
system, known as the Vilnius photometric system, is in use over the
world.
Lithuanian astronomers participate in a number of international
projects, including CCD photometry of stars in galactic fields and star
clusters, surface photometry of galaxies and their population studies,
photometry of variable stars and oscillating white dwarfs, development
of new methods of the photometric determination of temperatures,
luminosities, metallicities and peculiarity types of stars. Together
with American and Danish astronomers, a new version of the Vilnius
system, so-called Stromvil system, has been developed. Somewhat similar
system is also accepted for the Gaia orbiting observatory of the
European Space Agency. A number of comets were discovered and
investigated by Vilnius astronomers.
Every year hundreds of excursions are visiting the observatory. The
visitors get information about achievements of the world and Lithuanian
astronomy, take a look at the telescopes and their equipment. They also
have a lecture, illustrated by wonderful photographs of various sky
objects: planets, stars, nebulas, star clusters and galaxies,
accompanied by space music. On the southern wall of the observatory a
sundial is mounted. Near the telescope domes an exhibition of the
sacred mythological stones is presented. These stones with dish-like
cavities hundreds of years ago were used to collect and keep the sacred
water of Perkunas, the pagan thunder god. The interior of the
observatory is decorated with the stained-glass windows on the
astronomical topics. The Lithuanian Ethnocosmological museum is situated on the nearby
Kapeliai hill.
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