New living quarters for the Saint-Véran Observatory

After having been managed by the CNRS, the 7 m diamater dome, which had originally been on the roof of the Perrault building of the Paris Observatory, houses a 62 cm diameter telescope lent by the Haute-Provence observatory to amateur astronomers ; these latter have set up nearby a 5 m dome equipped with a wide field camera.

Under the management of the Saint-Véran municipality, with the support of the European FEDER program, of the PACA region, and with private sponsorship, the capacity of the new living quarters will be doubled and they will blend perfectly into this exceptional site, from both an aesthetic and ecological point of view. They will ensure that scientific missions can continue under excellent conditions, and will render the site accessible to a wider public during “open dome” (“coupole ouverte”) operations, during which the general public can participate in nocturnal observations, under highly qualified scientific supervision.

The astronomical research carried out during diverse missions covers a wide field : visual observation and astronomical sketching, planetary and deep sky imagery, astrometry and photometric analysis, stellar spectroscopy, supernovae and cometary searches, asteroid surveillance, exoplanetary transits, etc. Amateur astronomers worldwide know and appreciate these missions.

The Paris Observatory is confident that Astroqueyras will use the Observatory for the dissemination of scientific culture, and will continue to extend its scientific support to the amateur astronomical association. It also partners the Saint-Véran municipality in order to set up in the village a "Maison du Soleil" (“Sun House”), which will be financed by the local authorities (the PACA region and municipality), and for which the works will begin in April-May 2015. This new « discovery area » will be dedicated to the study of our luminary and how it affects the Earth ; it will respond to the undeniable interest of the general public for astronomy in particular and for science in general.

Saint-Véran, already well known as the highest municipality in Europe, is preparing to become an attractive « astronomical tourist » area, combining as it does the renovated high altitude observatory with the « Maison du Soleil » in the center of the village.